Latvia’s security service says 2 people set fire to train and train equipment for Russia

Latvia’s State Security Service said on Wednesday that a train and some railway infrastructure in Latvia were set on fire in August by two men acting in line with Russian interests, the latest in a series of warnings by Western officials that Russia is attacking critical infrastructure across Europe.

The security service said the two men set fire to the train and some railway relay cabinets – boxes containing devices that control train movement – and filmed the attack. The video material was later sent to the people who assigned the arsonists, who used it for propaganda purposes to claim that the fire had started in Ukraine, the service said.

The August arson attack was one of at least 151 incidents of vandalism and violence across Europe linked by Western officials to Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to The Associated Press. Officials say the attack was aimed at eroding support for Ukraine, creating fear and draining investigative resources in Europe. Russia often uses proxies for such attacks, and some perpetrators say they don’t know they were recruited by Moscow.

In November, Polish officials said Russian intelligence services were behind several sabotage incidents on a train line used to deliver aid to Ukraine.

In January, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said hackers had “connected directly to Russian services” two combined heat and power plants and multiple wind and solar farms supplying heat to nearly half a million customers.

In December, Danish officials said Russian cyberattacks in 2024 on water use left some homes without water, while in August pro-Russian hackers remotely opened a valve at a dam to pour water, Norwegian police said.

The cyberattacks demonstrate the vulnerability of European critical infrastructure and are part of a trend that Ciaran Martin, former head of the UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Centre, suggests Moscow is adopting a “more aggressive stance” towards European countries.

Part of that involves “cyber-kinetic” activity, where hackers linked to Russia change variables in a system to have a physical impact — such as changing the flow of water, Martin told the AP.

Italian authorities are investigating the vandalism of multiple high-speed rail lines on the first day of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. The ANSA news agency said infrastructure was burned or cut off, affecting thousands of passengers. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said cyber attacks on the Winter Olympics, including websites linked to the Games, hotels in Cortina and foreign ministry sites, originated from Russia.

High-speed rail lines in France were also vandalized on the opening day of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Neither Italy nor France have officially claimed responsibility for the train sabotage. The Kremlin previously told the AP it denies any involvement with the sabotage campaign.