British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into a fire at an electrical substation that has closed London's Heathrow Airport for the entire day today amid claims that it could be a Russian sabotage attack linked to Vladimir Putin's divisive campaign, several British media outlets, including the "Daily Mail", write.
More than 1,300 flights to and from the UK's busiest airport will be affected today due to its closure following a fire at the nearby North Hyde electrical substation.
Thousands of homes were left without power and more than 100 people were evacuated after a transformer at the substation caught fire while a large explosion was heard.
Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of orchestrating dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
They claim that the destabilization campaign is an extension of President Putin's war, aimed at sowing division in European societies and undermining support for Ukraine, although the Kremlin has denied carrying out sabotage efforts against the West.
Earlier this week, Putin had agreed to a limited ceasefire that stops Russia from targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure after a phone call with US President Donald Trump.
Now, experts are analyzing whether Russia could be linked to the UK substation fire, which is affecting 679 flights scheduled to land and 678 departures from Heathrow.
Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation, given the need to quickly determine whether it was sabotage and security questions about how a fire destroyed much of the infrastructure.