Belgian soldiers, illustrative image. Photo via Wikimedia.

Belgium strengthens security measures due to possible sabotage and espionage

October 12, 2024

By Ukraine

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Several military barracks in Belgium have been placed under heightened alert after they received concrete sabotage and espionage threats.

The elevation of security levels highlights the urgency of safeguarding critical infrastructure and military operations amidst a broader pattern of destabilizing efforts from Moscow.

As reported by The Brussels Times, security measures were increased at a small number of army barracks in Belgium on Friday 11 October due to concrete threats of sabotage and espionage. The Belgian Ministry of Defense confirmed the news.

In light of the threats, the security level at several military quarters has been raised from the base level Alpha to level Bravo, the second of four levels (the third is Charlie and the highest is Delta).

For each of these stages, specific measures are to be applied. The elevation of the threat level triggers additional security measures, especially for the guard personnel at the relevant barracks, but the details of this cannot be disclosed for safety reasons. The measures were introduced on Friday and apply indefinitely for the time being.

Threat of Russian sabotage and espionage across Europe

The Belgian Defense Department has not yet provided further details about the specific threats. The decision may be linked to the attacks by pro-Russian hacker groups on Belgian websites in recent days, but this has also not been confirmed.

In general, for the better part of the year, intelligence officers, politicians, and military officials from the United States and Europe have been warning of the possibility of Russian espionage and sabotage across the continent since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022.

For example, according to reports, Russian saboteurs allegedly set fire to a large factory in Berlin belonging to a defense manufacturer in May of this year, in an effort to disrupt arms shipments to Kyiv.

One of the more profound episodes of Russian covert activity in Europe has been the revelation made by US and German intelligence agencies in July 2024, when the Russian government planned to assassinate the chief executive of a powerful German arms manufacturer that has been producing artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine.

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