Russia planned terrorist attacks on airlines across the world, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has claimed.
Tusk confirmed the foiling of the Kremlin’s plans in a meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
He said: “I can only confirm that Russia planned acts of air terror, not just against Poland but against airlines across the globe.”
Tusk did not elaborate further on his claims and did not state whether it was thought that officials in Moscow, who are known to monitor the actions of their intelligence services closely, had any knowledge of the plans.
The New York Times reports that officials first became aware of the plot in the summer after incendiary devices placed at shipping hubs in Britain and Germany ignited fires that caused minimal damage.
It is believed that the western officials were briefed that the fires had been part of a test by Russian intelligence service known as GRU.
So widespread was the concern and belief in Russia’s intent, that US President Joe Biden and his top advisors delivered a firm warning to their Kremlin counterparts promising a severe reaction should any attack take place.
Russia has denied any involvement in sabotage whilst western officials believe that Moscow’s agents have been instructed to find ways to bring the war in Ukraine to a conclusion.
But despite Russian protestations of innocence, many western officials hold the Russian intelligence services directly responsible for several suspected sabotage attacks in recent months.
Russia is widely understood to be conducting grey zone warfare against Nato countries including the severing of critical underwater cables and the assassinations of Russian defectors living in Europe.
Most recently, Russia was accused of shooting down an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.
The incident had all the hallmarks of the downing of the MH17 plane in 2014 over Russian separatist controlled eastern Ukraine which killed 298 people.
Putin apologised for the downing of the Azerbaijani plane without directly referencing those killed. He has never acknowledged the role of Russian forces in the shooting down of MH17.
