A top European diplomat warned that Putin’s “madness” has “no limits” in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk
His remarks come as Russia prepares to carry out a campaign of covert bombings and arson attacks across Europe, according to new intelligence reports.
Last month Germany’s domestic intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang told a security conference that the Kremlin appeared comfortable with carrying out operations in Europe “[with] a high potential for damage.”
Officials from three European countries also told the Financial Times that there is growing evidence that Putin is set to unleash a more aggressive and concerted sabotage campaign, posing serious threats to the lives of ordinary citizens.
Linas Linkevičius , Lithuania’s ambassador to Sweden, told the Express that the greatest threat Russia posed to the West at the moment was through hybrid warfare.
“They are really ready for so-called asymmetric and hybrid operations,” he explained.
“This is about energy. This is about strategic communications. This is definitely about cyber warfare.
“So I have no doubt they are preparing for that and they will do that. By the way, they are doing that as we speak as well.”
However, the ambassador did not rule out direct attacks on NATO countries, pointing to Putin’s irrational decisions and behaviour in the past.
“I don’t think that they will go so far as to cross this really red line of attacking NATO territories conventionally, because that would cause even more dramatic consequences.
“But at the same time, we have to be prepared for everything because what was done before, it was also not rational. It had no logic, basically.
“It was detrimental for Russia itself. So why they cannot repeat something similar? Some madness has no limits.”
Putin’s agents are already suspected of carrying out a number of sabotage missions in the UK and Europe.
Two men were arrested in Britain on suspicion of arson, after a fire broke out at a warehouse containing aid shipments for Ukraine.
Prosecutors have accused the suspects of working for the Russian government. Meanwhile in Sweden security services are investigating a series of recent railway derailments, which they suspect may be acts of state-backed sabotage.
The ambassador argued that Putin has been emboldened to take ever more aggressive action against Nato countries due to the lack of an adequate response by Western leaders to previous outrages.
Referencing the Novichok Salisbury attack in 2018 , he said: “You mentioned these poisonings – this is repeating, and they’re testing waters, basically. They’re testing how far they can go, how much they can do without any response. And frankly, there was no response previously.
“Now there is also proof by the US, I believe, that Russia used a chemical weapon in Ukraine.
“It was not biological, not nuclear so far, but it was chemical, which is also prohibited. But there was no additional reaction.”