A Surge of Russian Sabotage Attacks in Europe, and Musk’s Political War Chest

The Headlines

This episode of The Headlines covers a surge in Russian sabotage attacks across Europe, Trump administration efforts to investigate voter fr

Key takeaways

• Russia is escalating sabotage attacks across Europe, including drone strikes and factory fires, using tactics below the threshold of war to avoid triggering NATO's Article 5 defense clause.
• NATO is struggling to respond effectively due to its traditional focus on large-scale invasions rather than covert sabotage operations.

Main topics

• Russian sabotage operations in Europe
• Trump administration voter fraud investigation

Notable quotes

"I wouldn't call it a war" – Vice President J.D. Vance on the U.S.-Iran conflict.

"The more frequently these things occur, the more that becomes a possibility." – Security expert on Russian sabotage risks.

Conclusion

As geopolitical tensions rise and political influence grows through private funding,

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) Hey y'all, it's Kyra Blackwell from Wirecutter, the product recommendation service from the New York Times, and I test mattresses. Today I am testing seven mattresses. This mattress is very supportive. It's just very easy to shift positions. We've considered nearly four dozen foam, innerspring, and hybrid mattresses. We're looking out for edge support, motion isolation, and firmness levels. At Wirecutter, we do the work so you don't have to. For independent product reviews and recommendations for the real world, come visit us at nytimes.com slash Wirecutter. Speaker 1 (0:33) From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Will Jarvis, in for Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, September 4th. Here's what we're covering. Speaker 1 (0:45) Over the past few years across Europe, Speaker 4 (0:47) a railway line linking Warsaw to southeastern Poland was damaged by a weekend explosion. Speaker 1 (0:52) Officials have been sounding the alarm about a dramatic and escalating series of sabotage attacks. that they say are being carried out by Russia. It's Speaker 6 (1:01) part of a wider plot where Russia schemed to send the incendiary devices through a commercial carrier on planes that would potentially end up in the United States. Speaker 1 (1:09) The attacks began just after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as part of Russia's attempts to bring the war to the West more broadly. One Speaker 3 (1:17) of the drones, equipped with military-grade explosives, bounced off the wing of a plane on the tarmac. But security officials tell The Times that they're now Speaker 1 (1:25) becoming more intense and more frequent. In just the past week, German officials announced that Russia was behind a failed drone attack this summer at an airport. Polish officials said a fire at a drone factory was most likely caused by sabotage. And Denmark said Russia is recruiting people there to attack defense companies. Speaker 5 (1:44) So for the moment, nobody's been killed or seriously injured in these attacks. But the more frequently these things occur, the more that becomes a possibility. Speaker 1 (1:53) My colleague Michael Schwartz covers global security issues. He says the attacks pose a real challenge for NATO specifically because the alliance was formed to deter or respond to a major land invasion and not this kind of incremental sabotage. Speaker 5 (2:08) Russian President Vladimir Putin has been very careful. to pursue a campaign that seems to fall well below the threshold of a war, well short of Article 5, which is the central tenet of NATO, that an attack on one is an attack against all. And this has left NATO struggling to respond. They've kicked out diplomats, they've imposed sanctions, but they've realized that this is really doing little to blunt this Russian campaign. And so they... are starting to experiment with some new ideas. Recently, in August, in fact, the German government authorized its spy services for the first time since World War II to carry out what are called active measures. So this is sabotage, cyber attacks, things like that, directed at Russia. But experts and officials are telling me that even these kinds of more aggressive measures are not going to be enough. And so for the time being, they expect these attacks simply are going to continue. Speaker 1 (3:14) Now, three updates on the Trump administration. First, at the White House yesterday. Speaker 4 (3:19) In terms of the war and the timeline, will this war be over by the time of the midterm elections? Speaker 6 (3:24) Well, Caitlin, again, I don't, I wouldn't call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting. Vice Speaker 1 (3:30) President J.D. Vance tried to downplay the war in Iran, saying he doesn't currently Speaker 3 (3:35) consider it a war at all. His comments came as