United States and European security officials say they have recorded a fall in suspected Russian state-backed sabotage incidents so far in 2025, reversing a sharp uptick seen last year. According to the officials, Moscow appears to have curbed some of the more aggressive elements of its hybrid campaign, suggesting President Vladimir Putin has reined in operations that ranged from cyber intrusions to physical acts of sabotage on Western soil. While the governments did not release specific figures, they described the drop as notable when compared with 2024, a year they characterised as the peak of such covert activity. The assessment comes as Western intelligence services continue to monitor Russia’s broader influence operations amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.