The Russian shadow hovers over threats against planes and television channels in Europe

Concern is growing among European governments regarding the campaign of unfounded threats of attacks against commercial airliners, which continued yesterday and extended to several television stations such as the British Sky News, the Irish RTÉ or the Bulgarian Nova TV.

Although political leaders prefer not to point directly and explicitly at Russia as the origin of these actions, typical of the hybrid war of destabilization, the experience of recent years leads to suspicion of the Kremlin. It is no coincidence that this deliberate disruption of the daily lives of Europeans, with obvious psychological and economic effects, occurs at a very delicate geopolitical moment, before upcoming elections in several countries experiencing social protests, after a political turnaround in Washington and, perhaps, at the threshold of the decisive negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.

At least 18 European media outlets, including the Financial Times, received an email warning that “this is just the beginning.” "What has happened this week is only a small part of what awaits Europe in the near future," the message said. "Very soon we will blow up your planes, cruise ships, subway stations and trains." The email, under the title “Message to the West,” was signed by Yuri Andropov, one of the last Soviet leaders. This indicates a desire to mislead or it could be a warning about who is behind it.

Several European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, have been publicly denouncing the Russian hybrid war in its various forms for years, from the mildest – such as the graffiti of the Stars of David in Paris to simulate an anti-Semitic attack or the placement of coffins at the foot of the Eiffel Tower to instill fear of involvement in Ukraine – to other more dangerous operations, such as cyberattacks against institutions. It took Germany several weeks to accuse Russia of the failed drone attack against a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport last August, but finally, when it had reliable evidence, the Government in Berlin held Moscow responsible.

Russian authorities consistently reject any involvement in hybrid attacks. On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov described as "absurd" the accusations about an alleged role of pro-Russian hackers against refrigeration systems in Europe, following the hacks recorded in recent days in supermarkets in several countries and in a French blood bank. "These are absurd claims," ​​Peskov said. "As always, there are no arguments or evidence to support them." “These are unfounded accusations against our country,” he added, something that, according to him, “has become a persistent trend in European countries.”

His authorship was also denied by a mysterious Russian extremist, misogynist and racist small group, The Male State, which responded angrily to the BBC after there was a claim in its name.

These types of attributions and denials can be part of the hybrid war of disinformation and confusion of European public opinion.

After threats against Irish media, Prime Minister Micheál Martin described the situation as “worrying” and announced his determination to unmask the perpetrators. “We will go after those responsible to identify them and hold them accountable,” he said. It so happens that Ireland holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed herself in similar terms, emphasizing that the attacks are directed at essential "civil infrastructure", such as means of transport and hospitals, and essential goods such as refrigerated food. His deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, went further and warned about Russia's willingness to continue destabilizing Europe with hybrid war. Although he admitted that "there is still no evidence" about the latest actions, he added: "We know well that Moscow will never declare military war on Europe. But we also know that it will try to destabilize, create panic and problems in everyday life."

The unfounded alarms against European flights were repeated yesterday in various countries. In France there were four cases. All the planes landed without problems, three at the Paris Orly airport and one in Bordeaux, without the bomb inspections discovering any device on board.

Hungary registered three alarms that forced three fighters to take off from their bases to escort the planes. One of the flights was on the route between Brussels and Sofia. The other two came from Prague and were destined for Cyprus and Bucharest.

Four flights bound for Madrid-Barajas were also threatened yesterday. There were three planes from London and one from Munich. This forced security protocols to be activated, but, after the relevant inspections, it was verified that there was no explosive.

Air safety experts warn that these types of intimidation campaigns always generate a contagion effect and that, in addition to the authors of the coordinated action, there may be spontaneous collaborators who, for various reasons, want to join in creating an atmosphere of collective psychosis.