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Transcript/Script(PLAYBOOK SLUG: EUROPE RUSSIA ARSON ATTACKS
HEADLINE: Russia’s alleged sabotage attacks stoke fear among refugees in Europe
TEASER: Ukrainian refugees say they feel unsafe even in countries where they fled
PUBLISHED AT: 7/29/24, 6p
BYLINE: Henry Wilkins
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: London
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins, Agencies
VIDEO EDITOR: Henry Wilkins
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Luis Ramirez
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, DLJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original, Agencies
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:08
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: FOR PRODUCTION MONDAY))
((INTRO)) [[For months, European governments and the U.S. have accused Russia of
carrying out sabotage attacks on military and civilian infrastructure across the continent.
London police in April said they had charged two British men with aiding Russian
intelligence following a suspected arson attacked on a business with ties to Ukraine. As
Henry Wilkins reports from London, the incidents have shaken Ukrainians who feel
targeted in places where they have sought refuge.]]
((NARRATOR))
An industrial park on the outskirts of London may seem like an unlikely scene for a
Russian attack on Ukraine, but, in March, say British police, that is what happened.
They charged two British men with ((Mandatory CG: Elizabeth Cook/PA News Wire))
collaborating with Russian intelligence after a ((end courtesy)) warehouse was allegedly
set on fire, destroying it. The facility was owned by a company transporting aid to
Ukraine.
There has been no plea in the case.
((Mandatory CG: YouTube Bug + @StateDept))
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned of an uptick in sabotage attacks by
Russia across Europe.
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“The Kremlin’s also been intensifying its hybrid attacks against frontline states – NATO
members – setting fire and sabotaging supply warehouses, disregarding sea borders
and demarcations in the Baltics, mounting more and more cyber-attacks, continuing to
spread disinformation.” ((end courtesy))
((NARRATOR))
Juliana Yershova fled her home in Ukraine and came to Britain in 2023. Upon visiting
the site of the burned warehouse, she said she was shocked to see something like this
on British soil.
((Juliana Yershova, Ukrainian Refugee (in English)))
“And when we see the result of it being burned to the ground, this is really, really painful
and I think to prevent it, to somehow control much better Russian intelligence in Europe,
because it has such deep roots here, it has such long hands.”
((NARRATOR))
Similar incidents have been reported in Spain, Germany — ((Mandatory CG:
X/@venik44)) which this social media footage purports to show — as well as in France,
((end courtesy)) while Latvia’s president and officials from the Netherlands, and
Lithuania have warned more attacks may be possible.
Mark Hannah of the Institute for Global Affairs says incidents like these are consistent
with Russia’s covert efforts to weaken support for Ukraine.
((Mark Hannah, Institute for Global Affairs (male, in English))) ((Zoom))
“So, if it thinks that these acts of arson and these acts of sabotage will somehow
weaken the will of publics in these countries, that is I think one of the primary
motivations for Russia for carrying out these acts.”
German prosecutors have accused Russia of trying to weaken military support for
Ukraine.
((NARRATOR))
As European governments look for answers, reports of the attacks are causing anguish
among Ukrainian refugees who thought they had come to a safe space.
((NARRATOR))
At a Ukrainian social club in London, Ukrainian refugee Liudmyla Kazmiruk says the
attacks are hitting in the most unexpected places. She says Ukrainian children in Britain
are encountering Kremlin propaganda online.
She feels traumatized.
((Liudmyla Kazmiruk, Ukrainian Refugee (in English, 10 secs))
“I started to hate (the) Russian language. When I hear (the) Russian language,
something inside me – I just (become) afraid of that person.”
((NARRATOR))
Russia calls the accusations of sabotage "yet another unfounded accusation" on the
part of the West.
For Ukrainians who thought they were fleeing to safety in Britain and elsewhere in
Europe, the trauma caused by the often unexplained incidents is very real.
((Henry Wilkins, VOA News, London))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJuly 29, 2024 18:30 EDT
BylineHenry Wilkins
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
