Marywilska 44 and other Russian terrorist acts against several European countries

For years, one of the most repeated ideas by pro-Russian propagandists in Europe is that Russia is not our enemy.

Lithuanian prosecutors link Russia to a terrorist group that operated in several countries
Russia's support for separatism in Spain and the support of Spanish separatists for Russia

This idea attempts to promote the belief that by supporting Ukraine, Europe is provoking a conflict with Russia without Vladimir Putin's dictatorship having done anything to deserve it. As with everything that pro-Russian propagandists spread, it is a lie.

The arson attack on a shopping center in Warsaw a year ago

One year ago today, Warsaw’s Marywilska 44 shopping centre was severely damaged by fire, which destroyed 1,400 commercial premises, many of them belonging to small entrepreneurs. Yesterday, the Polish government blamed Russia for the fire, after gathering evidence over the past year:

Currently, based on the evidence collected, we know that the fire was the result of arson ordered by Russian special services. We have extensive knowledge of the order and progress of the fire, as well as how it was documented by the perpetrators. Their activities were organized and directed by a person based in the Russian Federation. Some of the perpetrators are already in custody; the rest have been identified and are being sought. The Prosecutor's Office, the Police, and the Internal Security Agency are continuing investigative and operational activities aimed at their capture.

Cases in Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain

Thus, the fire at the Marywilska 44 shopping center was an act of Russian terrorism, but it was not the only one in Europe. Let us remember that two months ago the Lithuanian Prosecutor's Office linked Russia to a terrorist group that operated in several countries. In recent years, Russia has been officially accused of preparing or committing acts of sabotage in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

In addition, there have been fires and possible acts of sabotage in other European countries, including a fire at a Ukrainian company located in Spain in March 2024, a company that was already the victim of Russian sabotage in Great Britain. Let us also remember that in February 2024 a Russian defector was killed in Spain after having taken refuge in our country after delivering a Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine. The big difference with other countries is the absolute silence of Pedro Sánchez's government in the face of these cases, while it tries to erase the Russian plot behind the 2017 separatist coup in Catalonia, in yet another payment to its secessionist allies for their support for Sánchez's investiture.

Putin's dictatorship's hybrid war against Europe

These acts of terrorism by Russia in Europe are an example of hybrid warfare, one that is carried out outside of conventional military means. The Kremlin has been trying to destabilize Western countries for years, a hostile campaign clearly visible in its official propaganda media and which has also manifested itself in its support for far-left parties and also, in the case of Spain, in its support for Catalan separatism, which Russia offered economic and military aid to break the unity of Spain.

Thus, there is now ample evidence of Russia's enmity toward the West and its terrorist actions. What is nonetheless curious is the willful blindness of some politicians and media outlets, from various points of the political spectrum, to this fact.

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Photo: Dariusz Borowicz/Agencja Wyborcza. Fire at the Marywilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw on May 12, 2024, an act of terrorism orchestrated by Russia.