Russia practices the ‘hybrid war’ in Poland with which it now threatens Oesía

This concept of ‘hybrid war‘, in which they intend destabilize to the country instead of defeating it in a conventional military confrontation, has served as a test for a broader campaign that could now affect companies throughout Europe.

The Russian Ministry of Defense published this Thursday a list of manufacturers considered “legitimate targets” for contributing to the production of Ukrainian drones that are causing havoc among its ranks.

The document includes as “target potential” UAV Navigationa subsidiary of the Oesía Group based in San Sebastián de los Reyes (in Madrid). The company has assured that it “strictly” complies with the regulations, “in coordination with the Spanish government and within the framework of the commitment to the European Union”.

However, Russian retaliation does not have to take the form of direct attacks. Dariusz Standerski, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland, explained last September that his country is a target of between 20 and 50 Russian sabotage attempts a day.

The most spectacular of these incidents took place in 2024 when the largest shopping center in Warsawlocated at 44 Marywilska Street. In retaliation, Donald Tusk’s government ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow.

In November 2025, Tusk denounced an attack on the railway which leads from Warsaw to Lublin, the city from which aid is sent to Ukraine. “An explosive device destroyed the railway line,” lamented the prime minister.

The last of these attacks took place on New Year’s Eve, when Russia launched a cyber attack aimed at leaving Poland “without light or electricity.” Although it was not successful, in Tusk’s own words, “it was close to depriving 500,000 people of heat in the middle of winter“.

“Sow chaos”

“We have arrested 55 people in total related to acts of sabotage, of which 23 are detained“, the prime minister explained in Parliament. Another 28 people, he added, had been expelledand eight were intercepted while carrying out recognition work of strategic points.

In all cases of sabotage and espionage for hire, Tusk stressed, the cooperation of Russian secret services. This pattern would have been repeated in other European countries, particularly in the Baltic and Eastern Europe.

“The model is very similar. Citizens of other countries, frequently from Ukraineson contractors to carry out this type of operations,” Tusk denounced. “Russia does not only aspire to cause direct damage, but to achieve social and political consequences.”

The objective of ‘hybrid warfare’, therefore, is to “sow disorganization, chaos, panic, speculation and uncertainty“, concluded the president.

The saboteurs

This week, the Polish Prosecutor’s Office announced that three people They will be judged as authors of the sabotage campaign. They are considered members of a cell that would receive orders from Russia, something the Kremlin has denied.

One of the accused is Stepan K, of nationality Belarusianand is accused of setting fire to a store in Warsaw in 2024. The other two are Daniil B and Oleksandr H, both of Ukrainian nationality and accused of burning an IKEA store in Vilnius.

However, they are also suspected of having caused the Marywilska 44 shopping center fireas well as planning the fire of another IKEA, this one in Riga.

He autor material The fire in the shopping center has not yet been identified, explained the spokesman for the National Prosecutor’s Office, Przemyslaw Nowak. Nor has it been possible to determine precisely how it was commissioned and planned.

“The investigation into this group of criminal arsonists continues, so we cannot say that the case is over,” Nowak emphasizes. All three face life sentences.while two others have been charged with minor crimes.