Russia is ramping up its attempts to kill opponents in Europe, intelligence officials say

Key Points:

• Russian activist Vladimir Osechkin has lived under police protection in France since 2022 due to credible assassination threats linked to Russian operatives, including a 2025 surveillance operation near his home believed to be preparatory work for a killing.
• Western intelligence officials report a significant increase in Russia’s targeted assassination campaigns since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with operations aimed at Russian activists, defectors, and foreign supporters of Ukraine across Europe.
• Several assassination plots have been foiled in countries like Lithuania, Germany, Poland, and France, involving proxies recruited by Russian intelligence, indicating a shift in Moscow’s tactics following diplomatic expulsions after the 2018 Skripal poisoning.
• Targets such as Lithuanian activist Valdas Bartkevičius and Ruslan Gabbasov face ongoing threats but refuse to disappear, viewing such intimidation as a tactic to silence opposition and undermine political activism against Russian interests.
• European authorities continue to disrupt these plots, but intelligence officials warn that while many attempts are thwarted, the risk remains high, and targets must remain vigilant as Russian security services retain the capability to carry out killings on European soil.