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... Russia's foreign intelligence service (SVR) has ramped up accusations against the European Union, the UK and Poland in recent weeks, claiming they are orchestrating covert operations designed to frame Moscow for acts of sabotage.

The allegations -- largely dismissed by Western officials as disinformation -- have led some analysts to warn that the Kremlin may be laying the groundwork for a future escalation with NATO.

The SVR alleged on October 6 that the UK was recruiting Ukrainian agents to stage a maritime attack that would appear to have been carried out by Russia. The supposed plan included the use of Chinese equipment, which the SVR said was intended to implicate Beijing as well. The agency claimed the operatives were instructed to get arrested by Western authorities and then claim they had acted on orders from Moscow.

That was one in a rapid series of accusations. Russia accused Polish intelligence on September 30 of working with Ukrainian agents to create a fake Russian-Belarusian special forces unit aimed at attacking Polish infrastructure. A week earlier, the SVR claimed that NATO and EU officials were planning provocations in Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria. ...

While Western governments have largely dismissed or mocked these unverified claims, experts say their frequency " and timing " warrant close attention. ...