As suddenly as they began, they ended. For several months now, there have been no fires at waste management facilities. Yet in spring and summer, waste sites were going up in flames several times a week. Have residents stopped throwing away lithium batteries? No – we still find them among waste every day.
“I believe that at the time we were experiencing yet another hybrid attack, but the question is whether we dare to admit this to ourselves,” says Algirdas Blazgys, CEO of our company, in an opinion article published on the news portal Delfi.
This year alone, at least twenty-three fires broke out at waste sorting and recycling facilities. Almost all of them occurred within just a few months, between late April and June. This had never happened before.
We often hear that lithium-ion batteries caused these fires. Yes, some fires are indeed caused by overheating or damaged batteries.
But certainly not all of them. We still find batteries among waste every day, yet the fires have stopped. Apartment fires caused by scooter batteries have not increased this year either – if batteries were the cause, they would be burning everywhere, not only at waste collection sites.
Throwing an explosive mixture or device into a waste container is an extremely easy task for hostile forces. Calculating exactly when it should ignite or explode is somewhat more complicated. That is precisely why we saw not only factories burning, but also garbage trucks and waste containers.
Identifying the person who disposed of such a device is practically impossible.
We must dare to admit to ourselves that in spring and summer, we experienced yet another hybrid attack. By failing to name our enemies and the real threats we face, we make ourselves even more vulnerable.
It is only a matter of time before the next attack occurs – the only question is where and when.
We invite you to read the full opinion article on the portal.