The US is reported to have warned its allies that Russia is targeting Western shipowners as part of its attempts to destabilise Ukraine’s partners.
Sources cited by Bloomberg said US officials were briefing that the Putin regime’s sabotage attempts have intensified.
Russia is suspected of having carried out cyber attacks on owners and ports before, but the sources said the Moscow government is now becoming more reckless.
The sources did not provide specific examples.
But Bloomberg has previously reported that Russian intelligence agents have targeted European countries by hiring local criminals to carry out arson and sabotage.
GPS signals have also been jammed, while a plot was foiled to assassinate the chief executive of a German arms manufacturing company.
In 2023, pro-Russian hackers were reported to have targeted terminals in Europe and Japan.
These featured ransomware attacks, as the hackers tried to extort cash by locking up files or systems.
One container terminal suffered an outage causing delays in shipments.
The websites of a number of ports in the Netherlands were also affected.
Incendiary devices
The DPA news agency reported that German authorities had sent a security notice to logistics companies in August.
They were warned of “unconventional incendiary devices” being delivered, following several instances of parcels catching fire.
Russia was not mentioned in the notice, however.
A US official told Bloomberg that intelligence is routinely shared with partners.
The Russian foreign ministry has not commented.
