After suspicious incidents, European group urges ‘vigilance’ for defense firms

German police officers form a security line as protesters celebrating the pending closure of the Russian House for Science and Culture seen behind with Ukrainian flags on September 4, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Omer Messinger/Getty Images)

MILAN and KEILCE, Poland — Europe’s leading defense industry group is urging companies, governments, and security agencies to “work closely together” to anticipate sabotage threats after a string of mysterious fires and explosions, often at defense-linked sites across the continent.

“Reports of an increasing number of sabotage incidents and attempted sabotage targeting [European] defense-related organisations underline the need for vigilance across the sector,” a spokesperson from the Aerospace, Security & Defense Industries Association (ASD) of Europe, told Breaking Defense.

The spokesperson added that in this context that “it is more important than ever that industry, governments and security authorities work closely together to monitor evolving threats, share information and take appropriate measures to protect facilities and maintain secure, resilient operations.”

The warning from ASD, which says it represents over 4,000 companies in 22 countries, echoes those of European officials who are increasingly sounding the alarm — and pointing the finger directly at Moscow.

“The Russians are actively preparing acts of sabotage targeting the defense industry in Denmark,” Emil Græsholm, head of counter-intelligence at Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Service, told a local media outlet on Sept. 2. Græsholm warned that defense firms with ties to military support for Ukraine were particularly high-value prey.

The same day, German officials made headlines when they pointed the finger directly at Moscow for what’s alleged to be a failed sabotage plot at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month, in which a drone carrying explosives was found in the vicinity of a Ukrainian cargo aircraft.

Just days before on Aug. 31, a major fire broke out at the premises of WB Electronics, one of the largest private arms companies in Poland that produces drones used by the Ukrainian military. Ahead of a cabinet meeting last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that there was “no doubt” that the incident was deliberate and suggested that it was likely carried out on the behalf of Russia.

“This is a continuation of Russia’s escalatory actions throughout the region,” Tusk said. “Unfortunately, these are not the first cases and, even worse, they certainly won’t be the last.”

In August 2025 the London-based thinktank IISS published a study recording dozens of questionable incidents across Europe since 2018, saying Russia’s culpability in each ranged from “realistically possible” to “almost certain.”

In cases where Russia has been implicated, the Kremlin has routinely denied responsibility for the incidents. It called the recent German allegation specifically a “ fabricated provocation .”

Under such a shadow, some European defense firms told Breaking Defense they’re continuously assessing their defense posture. (Many major firms did not respond to a request for comment or declined to discuss their own posture due to the sensitivity of the topic.)

A spokesperson for Germany’s Rheinmetall said that since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, federal and state security authorities have observed an increasingly “aggressive stance” towards NATO countries.

“In light of this assessment, Rheinmetall AG has reassessed the security situation at its sites on a risk-based basis and adjusted measures where necessary — thanks to our security strategy, we are able to respond swiftly to changing threat scenarios,” the spokesperson said.

In July 2024 CNN reported , citing US intelligence, that Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger had been targeted by the Russian government for assassination. (Russia called the report a “ fake story .”)

Rheinmetall isn’t the only firm used to facing down potential threats.

On Aug. 10, a truck caught on fire at the storage facility of the Bulgarian private arms producer EMCO, known to have previously exported Soviet-era ammunition to Ukraine. Explosions spread through the company’s warehouse, which was ultimately destroyed. The investigation remains ongoing to determine the causes and gather evidence, per a statement from the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office.

An EMCO spokesperson told Breaking Defense that similar incidents took place in 2011, 2022, and 2023.

“Based on our past experience, it is certain that [the latest investigation] will not be resolved within the next ten years. It is completely natural for such explosions to disrupt the normal rhythm of work, but it doesn’t depend on us — it depends on the state,” the spokesperson said in an email statement. “Unless all EU/NATO countries unite, this phenomenon will only intensify.”

Days after the EMCO fire, another broke out overnight on Aug. 14-15 at a building housing Estonia-based Milrem Robotics, one of the primary makers of uncrewed ground vehicles bound for Ukraine.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal called the incident an arson attack in a statement published on X. He said, “The suspects have been identified, one of the lines of investigation is a possible act of sabotage and the involvement of Russia.”

In an email statement to Breaking Defense, Gert Hankewitz, Milrem’s director of communications, said that the company’s review and development of security measures is a “continuous process” that accounts for “changes in the operating and security environment.”

Given the sensitivity of the topic, Hankewitz said he could not comment on specific measures in place at Milrem facilities. But, he said, the company has not seen an impact on its day-to-day operations or existing customer orders.

Vladyslav Belbas, director general of the Ukrainian defense firm Ukraine Armor, said he believed the sabotage operations could presage a larger conflict between Russia and NATO nations. But first, NATO must respond, he said.

“First of all, there [are] a lot of Russian spies, so Europe will have to clear them, send them back to Russia,” he told Breaking Defense.

2026年9月4日，在德国柏林，德国警察组成警戒线，抗议者挥舞着乌克兰国旗，在他们身后庆祝俄罗斯科学文化宫即将关闭。（图片来源：Omer Messinger/Getty Images）

米兰和波兰凯尔采——欧洲领先的国防工业集团敦促各公司、政府和安全机构“密切合作”，以防范破坏威胁。此前，欧洲大陆发生了一系列神秘的火灾和爆炸事件，这些事件通常发生在与国防有关的场所。

欧洲航空航天、安全和国防工业协会 (ASD) 的一位发言人告诉 Breaking Defense：“越来越多的破坏事件和针对欧洲国防相关组织的破坏未遂事件的报道，凸显了整个行业保持警惕的必要性。”

发言人补充说，在此背景下，“行业、政府和安全机构比以往任何时候都更需要密切合作，监控不断变化的威胁，共享信息，并采取适当措施保护设施，维持安全、有韧性的运营。”

ASD 表示，它代表 22 个国家的 4000 多家公司，其发出的警告与欧洲官员日益发出的警报相呼应，并将矛头直接指向莫斯科。

丹麦安全情报局反情报部门负责人埃米尔·格雷斯霍尔姆9月2日告诉当地媒体：“俄罗斯人正在积极策划针对丹麦国防工业的破坏活动。”格雷斯霍尔姆警告说，与乌克兰军事支持有关联的国防公司是特别有价值的目标。

同一天，德国官员将矛头直接指向莫斯科，指责其策划了上个月在莱比锡/哈勒机场发生的一起未遂破坏阴谋。当时，一架载有爆炸物的无人机在一架乌克兰货机附近被发现。

就在几天前的8月31日，波兰最大的私营军火公司之一WB Electronics的厂房发生重大火灾。该公司生产的无人机被乌克兰军方使用。在上周的内阁会议前，波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克表示，毫无疑问，这起事件是人为策划的，并暗示很可能是俄罗斯授意所为。

图斯克表示：“这是俄罗斯在该地区不断升级行动的延续。不幸的是，这并非首例，更糟糕的是，这肯定不会是最后一例。”

2025 年 8 月，总部位于伦敦的智库 IISS 发布了一项研究，记录了自 2018 年以来欧洲发生的数十起可疑事件，并表示俄罗斯在每起事件中的罪责程度从“很有可能”到“几乎肯定”不等。

在俄罗斯被牵涉其中的事件中，克里姆林宫通常否认对此事负责。它明确称德国最近的指控是“捏造的挑衅”。

在这种阴影下，一些欧洲国防公司告诉《防务新闻》，他们正在不断评估自身的国防态势。（许多大型公司没有回应置评请求，或者由于话题的敏感性而拒绝讨论自身的国防态势。）

德国莱茵金属公司的一位发言人表示，自2022年俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，联邦和州安全部门注意到俄罗斯对北约国家的态度日益“咄咄逼人”。

“鉴于此评估，莱茵金属股份公司已根据风险重新评估了旗下各工厂的安全状况，并在必要时调整了措施——得益于我们的安全战略，我们能够迅速应对不断变化的威胁形势，”发言人表示。

2024年7月，美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）援引美国情报部门的消息报道称，莱茵金属公司首席执行官阿明·帕佩格尔已成为俄罗斯政府的暗杀目标。（俄罗斯称该报道为“假新闻”。）

莱茵金属公司并不是唯一一家习惯于应对潜在威胁的公司。

8月10日，保加利亚私营武器生产商EMCO的仓库发生卡车起火事故。EMCO曾向乌克兰出口苏联时期的弹药。爆炸迅速蔓延至公司仓库，最终导致仓库被毁。保加利亚检察官办公室发表声明称，目前调查仍在进行中，以确定事故原因并收集证据。

EMCO 的一位发言人告诉 Breaking Defense，类似的事件分别发生在 2011 年、2022 年和 2023 年。

发言人在一封电子邮件声明中表示：“根据我们过去的经验，可以肯定的是，（此次调查）在未来十年内不会有结果。此类爆炸事件扰乱正常的工作节奏是完全自然的，但这并非我们所能掌控，而是取决于国家。”他补充道：“除非所有欧盟/北约国家团结起来，否则这种现象只会愈演愈烈。”

在 EMCO 火灾发生几天后，8 月 14 日至 15 日夜间，爱沙尼亚的 Milrem Robotics 公司所在的建筑物内又发生了一起火灾。Milrem Robotics 是向乌克兰出口无人地面车辆的主要制造商之一。

爱沙尼亚总理克里斯滕·米哈尔在X网站上发表声明，称该事件为纵火袭击。他说：“嫌疑人已被确定，调查方向之一是可能的破坏行为以及俄罗斯的参与。”

Milrem 通讯总监 Gert Hankewitz 在一封发给 Breaking Defense 的电子邮件声明中表示，公司对安全措施的审查和制定是一个“持续的过程”，会考虑到“运营和安全环境的变化”。

鉴于该话题的敏感性，汉克维茨表示他无法对米尔雷姆工厂采取的具体措施发表评论。但他表示，公司日常运营和现有客户订单尚未受到影响。

乌克兰国防公司“乌克兰装甲”（Ukraine Armor）总经理弗拉迪斯拉夫·贝尔巴斯表示，他认为此次破坏行动可能预示着俄罗斯与北约国家之间将爆发更大规模的冲突。但他同时指出，北约首先必须做出回应。

“首先，有很多俄罗斯间谍，所以欧洲必须清除他们，把他们送回俄罗斯，”他告诉《防务新闻》。