Germany and Romania are on high alert after a series of suspected sabotage incidents targeting their critical energy and transportation infrastructure, with both countries pointing the finger at Russia. The warnings come amid a tense geopolitical climate in Europe, where hybrid warfare tactics—ranging from cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns to physical sabotage—have become increasingly prevalent.
On August 8, 2025, Germany’s Interior Ministry announced an increased threat of sabotage activities or preparatory actions targeting the national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn. According to a report from Bild, the ministry’s statement followed a spate of arson attacks on Deutsche Bahn equipment in late July and early August. "Currently, there is an increased threat of sabotage activities or preparatory actions in Germany," the ministry said, as cited by Bild. While the ministry stopped short of explicitly naming a culprit, the German security services linked the heightened threat level to "the escalation of the confrontation with Russia and Moscow's willingness to carry out acts of sabotage."
The threat is far from theoretical. In a span of days, Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure suffered three consecutive attacks, disrupting both passenger and freight train movements. Two incidents occurred along the busy stretch between Duisburg and Düsseldorf, while another took place near Hohenmelsungen in Saxony-Anhalt. The attacks, described as arson, triggered immediate investigations and heightened security protocols across Germany’s rail network.
Law enforcement agencies are now searching for agents operating within Germany on behalf of Russian intelligence. According to Bild, these individuals are often not permanent operatives but are instead recruited for "one-time tasks for monetary reward." The search for such agents underscores the evolving nature of modern espionage and sabotage—where freelancers, rather than career spies, are deployed for covert operations.
Germany’s concerns echo similar anxieties elsewhere in Europe. On the same day as the German warning, Romanian authorities announced that they suspect Russia of sabotaging a major oil supply from Azerbaijan. As reported by the Romanian news portal G4Media, nearly 200,000 tons of Azerbaijani oil destined for the OMV Petrom refinery in Romania were found to be contaminated with organic chlorides—a chemical that, if processed, could have inflicted serious damage on the refinery’s equipment.
Investigators believe the contamination was not accidental. "The oil contamination could have been carried out through a relatively simple sabotage operation by Russia on a section of the oil pipeline more than 1,700 km long," G4Media reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation. The unusually high concentration of chlorine could only have entered the oil from an external source, leading Romanian authorities to suspect deliberate foul play.
The incident prompted OMV Petrom to contact the Romanian Ministry of Energy immediately. With the refinery unable to receive 184,000 tons of oil, the ministry declared a state of emergency in the energy sector—a move that highlights the vulnerability of European energy infrastructure to external threats. The state of emergency not only underscores the scale of the disruption but also the broader strategic risks facing the region’s energy security.
Romania’s suspicions are not without precedent. The country has witnessed a series of hostile actions targeting its energy infrastructure in recent months. Notably, the Russian military recently launched drone attacks on a gas transmission facility near the Ukraine-Romania border, through which gas from the United States and Azerbaijan is supplied to Ukraine. Since mid-July 2025, Azerbaijani gas has been flowing to Ukraine via the Trans-Balkan corridor, a development seen as crucial for bolstering Ukraine’s energy independence from Russia.
These attacks and acts of sabotage appear to be part of a broader pattern of Russian hybrid warfare. According to G4Media, Russian forces may have targeted Azerbaijani energy supplies in retaliation for recent diplomatic moves by Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev. In July 2025, Aliyev publicly expressed support for Ukraine in its struggle to reclaim occupied territories, stating, "One should never agree to occupation and never give up." This statement, delivered in response to a journalist’s question about lessons for Ukraine, reportedly provoked a strong reaction from Moscow.
Aliyev’s symbolic gestures—such as accepting chevrons from Ukrainian armed forces units—further stoked tensions. The Russian response, as characterized by Romanian and Azerbaijani officials, has included not only rhetorical condemnation but also tangible acts of sabotage aimed at disrupting Azerbaijan’s oil and gas exports to Europe and Ukraine.
The implications of these incidents stretch far beyond the immediate damage to infrastructure. For Germany, the attacks on Deutsche Bahn signal the vulnerability of key transportation arteries that underpin both economic activity and national security. For Romania and its partners, the contamination of Azerbaijani oil and the targeting of gas pipelines threaten to undermine efforts to diversify energy sources away from Russian supplies—a longstanding strategic goal for the European Union.
Hybrid warfare, as these events illustrate, is not confined to the battlefield. Instead, it unfolds in the shadows, targeting the lifelines of modern societies—railways, pipelines, refineries, and power grids. The choice of targets is hardly accidental. Disrupting railways can paralyze logistics and commerce, while contaminating oil supplies or attacking gas pipelines can cause economic chaos and erode public confidence in the stability of energy markets.
European governments are now grappling with the challenge of defending against such diffuse and often deniable threats. In Germany, the search for Russian-linked agents has prompted a reassessment of counterintelligence strategies and the deployment of new security measures across critical infrastructure. In Romania, the state of emergency in the energy sector has led to calls for greater regional cooperation and intelligence sharing to thwart future attacks.
Yet, as officials in both countries acknowledge, the threat is likely to persist as long as geopolitical tensions with Russia remain high. The use of sabotage—whether through physical attacks, chemical contamination, or cyber operations—offers Moscow a means to exert pressure and sow discord without triggering a direct military confrontation.
For now, the incidents in Germany and Romania serve as a stark warning. As Europe seeks to secure its energy future and protect its vital infrastructure, the shadow of hybrid warfare looms large, demanding vigilance, resilience, and a willingness to adapt to new and evolving threats.
With critical infrastructure under siege, European leaders face a daunting task: to safeguard the arteries of modern life against adversaries who operate in the shadows, armed with both cunning and resolve.