• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Us & Canada

As Russia taunts U.K. over Heathrow fire, Kremlin-backed sabotage attacks are in the spotlight

March 23, 2025
in Us & Canada
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Image: Fire at North Hyde Electricity Substation in Hayes
8
SHARES
17
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


LONDON — It was a spectacular thing to wake up to: Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports, shut down and plunged into darkness. More than a thousand flights grounded, another hundred already in the air diverted to other cities or turned back to where they came from, in a crisis that snarled travel around the world.

The shutdown was caused by a fire at an electrical substation 3 miles away that supplied much of the airport’s critical services. British police have said there was no initial indication of foul play, and the London Fire Brigade has taken over the investigation from  counterintelligence officers, “as the fire is now being treated as non-suspicious.”

But in the absence of information immediately after the fire, Britain’s raucous tabloids were ablaze with speculation about Russian sabotage: “If Russia was behind Heathrow fire, is that an act of war?” The Telegraph wondered in an op-ed headline. British radio presenter Nick Ferrari asked listeners jokingly whether anyone had seen Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On social media, users pointed to patterns of sabotage by Russia, while others argued the fire was part of a broader strategy of hybrid warfare.

The North Hyde Electricity Substation in London that caught fire last week, shutting down Heathrow Airport.Vuk Valcic / Zuma Press

It is not difficult to see why people might jump to such conclusions. The number of Russian sabotage attacks, many of them carried out in European NATO countries, nearly tripled between 2023 and 2024, after quadrupling between 2022 and 2023, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Transportation and critical infrastructure, the CSIS report said, are some of its primary targets, and its main weapons and tactics have included explosives, blunt or edged instruments, and electronic attacks.

Russia has denied accusations that it is orchestrating a sabotage campaign across Europe.

In an article published by the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Ukraine’s former Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk said sabotage was receiving a higher priority in Russia, with the European intelligence community reporting that a new unit, the 236th Specialist Training Center, had been created to “seriously scale up sabotage operations.”

According to CSIS, roughly 27 % of the known attacks were against transportation targets, another 27% were against government targets, and 21% were against critical infrastructure, including the electricity grid, pipelines and undersea fiber-optic cables.

On Friday, the Kremlin knew more accusations would be coming.

Shortly after the scale of the Heathrow disruption unfolded, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a former president, addressed U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X: “I’m looking forward to Russia being blamed for the Heathrow fire. What are you waiting for, Starmer?”

A British official told NBC News on Friday there was “no indication of Russian involvement.”

But H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate at RUSI, said he wasn’t surprised that people jumped to conclusions about Russian sabotage at Heathrow.

“The disinformation and misinformation environment that we’re in leads a lot of people to assume that when bad stuff happens like this, there’s going to be some sort of Russian fingerprint, because there have been so many Russian fingerprints in the past,” he told NBC News.

The increase in attacks appeared to be tied to an increase in military assistance from European governments to Ukraine, according to the CSIS report, with many targets having links to Western aid to Ukraine, such as companies producing or shipping weapons and other supplies. The report also noted that there were no recorded incidents in countries that did not provide significant aid to Ukraine, like Serbia or Hungary.

Richard Moore, head of MI6, has previously described Russia’s actions as a “staggeringly reckless campaign” intended to “sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine” and challenge Western resolve.

The timing of the Heathrow fire, which followed weeks of increased British support for Ukraine as Starmer sought to step in as U.S. backing receded, added fuel to the speculation.

However, Matthew Savill, the director of military sciences at RUSI, said while the timing may appear suspicious, covert action “takes time to plan and prepare.”

“Implementing a plan and executing it at a few days’ notice is not easy,” he said on X. “That doesn’t mean its impossible of course!”

The Associated Press has documented at least 59 incidents in which Russia, its proxies or its ally Belarus were blamed by governments and officials for acts across Europe ranging from cyberattacks and propaganda campaigns to sabotage, espionage and assassinations, much of it aimed at entities supporting Ukraine.

Last year, Western security officials said Russia was behind a plot to plant bombs on cargo planes in Germany and the U.K. as part of a wider sabotage campaign to start fires aboard aircraft bound for North America.

According to NATO, Russia was behind a plot to kill the head of a German arms manufacturer supplying weapons to Ukraine, while European authorities are also investigating damage to undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, with Finnish officials detaining a ship suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

In the United Kingdom, a Russian dissident was poisoned in 2018 with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok, and earlier this month, three Bulgarians were found guilty of running a Russian spy ring from a British seaside resort.

The ongoing sabotage by Russia has created an environment where Russia’s adversaries feel uncomfortable and anxious and slightly paranoid.

“There’s an old saying in the movies,” Hellyer said. “I might be paranoid, but it doesn’t mean that not everybody’s out to get me.”

Savill warned that even if Russia had nothing to do with Heathrow, the mere perception of vulnerability has strategic consequences.

“If you look vulnerable, you are less resilient,” he posted on X. “And that reduces the cost of action against you, limiting the deterrent effect you can achieve.”

The CSIS report suggested Russia’s covert sabotage activities in Europe aimed to erode public support for Ukraine by creating fear and uncertainty.

For now, however, public support for Ukraine remains high. A 2024 European Union survey indicated strong backing for the E.U.’s response to the Russian invasion, with 89% supporting humanitarian aid, 84% in favor of welcoming refugees and 72% approving sanctions on Russia.



Source link

Tags: attacksfireHeathrowKremlinbackedRussiasabotagespotlighttauntsU.K.
Previous Post

UK must stand up to ‘bully’ Donald Trump

Next Post

Columbia Basin copper mining has clean-energy promise, risks

Related Posts

Andry Hernandez Romero venezuela

Immigration courts are quietly tossing out the cases of Alien Enemies Act deportees

May 28, 2025
3
2 teens shot during drive-by shooting in Edmonton’s Strathearn area - Edmonton

2 teens shot during drive-by shooting in Edmonton’s Strathearn area – Edmonton

May 28, 2025
3
Next Post
Research illuminates growing extinction threat for southern resident orcas

Columbia Basin copper mining has clean-energy promise, risks

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Scientists Have Clear Evidence of Martian Atmosphere 'Sputtering' : ScienceAlert

Scientists Have Clear Evidence of Martian Atmosphere ‘Sputtering’ : ScienceAlert todayheadline

May 28, 2025
Mission to Mars (2000) Trailer #1 - YouTube

Mars Movie Matchup: ‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Red Planet’

May 28, 2025
woman uncomfortable

Most young women suffer from itching, irritation, pain and other symptoms in genital area, Brazilian study finds

May 28, 2025
Andry Hernandez Romero venezuela

Immigration courts are quietly tossing out the cases of Alien Enemies Act deportees

May 28, 2025

Recent News

Scientists Have Clear Evidence of Martian Atmosphere 'Sputtering' : ScienceAlert

Scientists Have Clear Evidence of Martian Atmosphere ‘Sputtering’ : ScienceAlert todayheadline

May 28, 2025
0
Mission to Mars (2000) Trailer #1 - YouTube

Mars Movie Matchup: ‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Red Planet’

May 28, 2025
0
woman uncomfortable

Most young women suffer from itching, irritation, pain and other symptoms in genital area, Brazilian study finds

May 28, 2025
4
Andry Hernandez Romero venezuela

Immigration courts are quietly tossing out the cases of Alien Enemies Act deportees

May 28, 2025
3

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

woman uncomfortable

Most young women suffer from itching, irritation, pain and other symptoms in genital area, Brazilian study finds

May 28, 2025
Andry Hernandez Romero venezuela

Immigration courts are quietly tossing out the cases of Alien Enemies Act deportees

May 28, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co