The newspaper, citing intelligence sources, claims that agents of Russian military intelligence, the GRU, and former members of the mercenary Wagner Group are recruiting potential terrorist attack perpetrators. According to the cited sources, the recruited individuals have already committed a series of acts of political violence in Western European countries and the U.S. over the past six months.

“The Sunday Telegraph” reminded readers this week that the U.K. announced the expulsion of the military attaché, Colonel Maxim Elovik, who is believed to be a GRU agent.

The newspaper quoted an intelligence source who told the National Security News portal: “The GRU is building a network of right-wing terrorists to use against (specified) targets in NATO countries. These attacks are already underway and have been going on for some time in various Alliance countries, with the U.K. definitely on the target list. Attacks may have occurred in the U.S. and Germany. Intelligence agencies are now actively warning their governments that the threat is very real. right-wing extremists are being recruited because they are a group (…) pro-Russian, pro-Putin, and very brutal.”

The statement also quoted Thomas Haldenwang, the head of the German counterintelligence BfV. At a security conference in April, he said, “We assess that the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage by Russia has significantly increased.” He further assessed that these attacks would carry a high potential for damage.

As reported by “The Sunday Telegraph,” the U.K. expelled more than 20 Russian spies following the chemical attack in Salisbury in 2018, which targeted Sergei Skripal, a former officer of the Russian services. Consequently, it is believed that the Kremlin was compelled to adopt a tactic akin to that used by Iran. That is, leveraging local organized criminal groups to execute acts of terror or political violence on its behalf within a specific country.