Europe doesn't know how to deal with Russian sabotage – expert

According to Ukrinform, Bart Schuurman, a professor of Terrorism and Political Violence at Leiden University, stated this in a comment to CBC News.

"I think some countries are taking very strong stances, like Poland, but on the whole, I think [responding] is where we are falling short," Schuurman said.

According to him, Western states lack concrete statements about a "realistic deterrent."

"What would Europe do if Russia brought down a plane with those DHL packages? I think they would be in a really, really tough spot," he noted.

Schuurman emphasized that the clear goal of this Kremlin subversive activity is to weaken support for Ukraine and give the Kremlin the ability to deny its involvement.

"Even if the links to Russia are … quite obvious or quite clear in some cases, there is never really a smoking gun, or very seldomly there is one," he said.

"It is plausible deniability, which makes it a very powerful instrument of Russian foreign policy, because it kind of shields them against retaliation," he concluded.

As Ukrinform reported, on November 21 in Poland, Operation Horizon will begin, under which up to 10,000 service members will be involved in countering sabotage on the country's territory.