Russian Sabotage in the Gig-Economy Era

A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers, in Washington, DC, 19 October 2020. Attacks and disruptions have notably increased in 2024 and bear the hallmarks of sabotage. Courtesy of UPI / Alamy

A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers, in Washington, DC, 19 October 2020. Attacks and disruptions have notably increased in 2024 and bear the hallmarks of sabotage. Courtesy of UPI / Alamy


Today’s Russian sabotage operations are increasingly organised around ‘gig economy’ principles, and the response needs to adjust accordingly.

The West is experiencing the most intense era of sabotage since the Second World War. Russian operations have now reached unprecedented levels. It seems that the main aim of this latest wave is to increase the West’s costs of supporting Ukraine, while at the same time slowing the delivery of military supplies. Daniela Richterova, Elena Grossfeld, Magda Long and Patrick Bury suggest a new conceptual approach for understanding the recent evolution of Russian sabotage operations. Russian operations are increasingly organised around ‘gig-economy’ principles. This article offers suggestions for countering Russian sabotage in this new era.

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WRITTEN BY

Daniela Richterova

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Elena Grossfeld

PhD Candidate at the Department of War Studies, King's College London

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Magda Long

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Patrick Bury

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