Russia’s alleged sabotage campaign in Europe raises fears of escalation

Russia appears to have escalated its shadow war in Europe this year. European officials have alleged that Russian fighter planes have veered inside Polish, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace, testing reaction times. Suspected Russian drones have been downed over Poland, Finland and the Baltic states. And Moscow has been accused of bringing trouble to the Black Sea. In two separate operations in October, Ukraine accused Russia of using aerial and surface drones to sink four cargo ships just outside the territorial waters of Bulgaria, a European Union and NATO member, in an apparent warning that Ukraine’s grain exports through NATO territorial waters may not be safe for long.