Russia is ramping up its attempts to kill opponents in Europe, 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 recent surveillance of his home suggesting a planned killing.
• European countries including Lithuania, Germany, and Poland have uncovered multiple plots to assassinate Russian dissidents, Ukrainian supporters, and defectors, indicating a coordinated campaign by Russian security services targeting opponents abroad since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
• Western intelligence officials confirm a politically authorized escalation in Russia's use of proxies and covert operatives to intimidate and eliminate critics living in Europe, part of a broader effort to destabilize nations supporting Ukraine.
• Activists targeted by these plots, such as Ruslan Gabbasov and Valdas Bartkevičius in Lithuania, have been offered protection options including disappearing and relocating, but many refuse to abandon their political work despite ongoing threats.
• The shift to proxy operatives follows increased Western counterintelligence measures after high-profile attacks like the 2018 Skripal poisoning, making direct Russian operations more difficult but not impossible, and underscoring the persistent danger faced by Kremlin opponents in Europe.