Russia is responding to Europe's defense buildup with psychological pressure and intimidation aimed at the executives running the continent's arms industry, because Moscow does not want the drive toward self-sufficiency to succeed, according to Daniel Bagge, a Czech expert on strategic information, cited by Czech Radio (iROZHLAS).

Europe's rearmament drive followed a shift in the United States' posture on guaranteeing global security, per Bagge — Washington's retreat left the continent arming itself without relying on American backing.

The report names no specific companies, incidents or timeline; the assessment rests on Bagge's reading of Russian intent, not documented cases.

Hypothesis: if accurate, this would extend hybrid pressure from the battlefield into Europe's defense-industrial base — a logical target, since rearmament is the one European response Moscow cannot counter militarily. Supporting this: the strategic logic Bagge describes, in which a weaker, dependent Europe serves Russian interests better than a self-armed one. Against this: the report offers no independent verification that intimidation of executives is actually happening, as opposed to being anticipated from Russia's general playbook.

What to watch: whether European governments or defense firms go public with specific incidents, which would move this from assessment to documented pattern.