Airport incident in Leipzig the beginning of Russia's campaign against NATO? Media about the "secret war"

As the diary wrote, the failed drone attack on the Lipsk airfield with materials for Ukraine had to become "one of the first shots opening an intensified campaign of sabotage and covert actions" by Russia against NATO countries. According to representatives of European authorities familiar with US intelligence information, the increase in attacks was ordered directly by Vladimir Putin. Russia itself had sent this similar warning through unofficial channels. These officials conveyed that in Moscow, frustration has been growing since the summer, as neither ground warfare nor negotiations with Washington have convinced Ukraine to agree to the concessions Putin demands. - The Kremlin is disappointed that talks with the US did not lead to the rapid normalization of relations that it hoped for - said Thomas Graham, a former high-ranking US official and expert from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), currently engaged in informal talks with the Kremlin. The Special Service for conducting "secret war" against Europe "WSJ" recalled that at the end of August, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow, among other things, to warn Russia against escalating attacks on the allies of Washington. He later personally warned European intelligence services and selected political leaders that Moscow is intensifying sabotage operations against their countries. The newspaper reported that Russia itself sent a similar message after the attack in Lipsk. A Russian official participating in talks with Germany passed on to Berlin through unofficial channels that this would not be the last attack. According to information from Western officials, Russia's covert attacks are carried out by a unit of the Russian military intelligence GRU. This unit, known as the Special Purpose Service, was established in 2023 through the merger of the most effective Russian secret units, and its task is to conduct a "secret war" against Europe. The commander of the team is General-Colonel Andriy Averjanov, and his members are linked to attacks, poisonings, and bombings throughout Europe - "WSJ" reported. He added that the attack in Lipsk on the night of August 4th and 5th was the work of one of the department heads in the team, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Smoljaninov, who is subject to sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom for leading Russia's secret operations in Europe. Western intelligence had previously identified Smoljaninov as one of the leaders behind a conspiracy to smuggle incendiary loads into the DHL courier network. Investigators believe that the operation ultimately led to the shooting down of civilian passenger aircraft flying to the United Kingdom and the countries of North America. Media: if the attack in Lipsk had caused casualties, Germany would have referred to Article 5. At least three drones filled with explosives participated in the operation in Lipsk. They did not explode, which helped to avoid casualties. Advisors to the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz assessed that if the attack had resulted in a large number of casualties, Germany would have referred to the clause in Article 5 of the Washington treaty, concerning the mutual defense of NATO members - wrote "WSJ". According to "WSJ", investigators discovered smuggling networks for explosives, drones, and weapons into the European Union, as well as hiding places and underground warehouses near airbases, defense corporations, and other potential targets. According to the services in Germany, Oleg Lewuszkin, a former Russian officer who was recruited by the GRU after a guilty verdict, coordinated the ground logistics of the operation in Lipsk. According to investigators and intelligence officers, Lewuszkin commanded several Belarusian agents who transported explosives hidden in food cans across the border, assembled drones, and deployed them for the attack. This network used Serbia as a logistics hub. Serbian authorities then arrested seven suspects, including a person of Serbian and Russian nationality. "WSJ" recalled that since the attack in Lipsk, European countries have noted a sharp increase in sabotage attacks, including the recent incendiary attacks on the Starlink satellite communication system facilities in Poland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania.