Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to place incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America. The incidents include a package catching fire at a courier hub in Germany and another igniting in a warehouse in England. Polish authorities have arrested four individuals suspected of being linked to a foreign intelligence operation, with Lithuania also detaining individuals in connection with this case. The attacks are believed to be part of a hybrid war of sabotage by Russia targeting Ukraine’s allies, including election disinformation and arson attacks in Europe.
The Polish Internal Security Agency, ABW, has stated that incidents of sabotage in Poland, as well as other EU and NATO members, have intensified this year. ABW believes these attacks are being initiated and coordinated by Russian special services. The investigation in Poland focuses on foreign agents conducting acts of sabotage, such as damaging industrial facilities and critical infrastructure, and arson using self-combustible parcels sent to EU countries and the UK. The group behind these attacks also tested a channel for sending such parcels to the United States and Canada. The US Transportation Security Administration has implemented extra security measures for certain cargo shipments heading to the US.
The incendiary devices in Germany and the UK both ignited in July, with suspicions of Russian involvement in both cases. In Germany, a package caught fire at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig, while in the UK, an incendiary device in a parcel ignited in a DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham. British counterterrorism police are investigating whether Russian agents were behind these incidents. The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, stated that the UK is facing a rise in attempts at assassination, sabotage, and other crimes on its soil by Russia and Iran.
German intelligence services have reported an increase in Russian espionage and sabotage activities, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Russia has been using various tactics, including cyberattacks and sabotage, as part of its hybrid war against Western democracies. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum highlighted the sustained mission of the GRU to generate mayhem on British and European streets through acts of arson, sabotage, and more. However, the Kremlin has denied any involvement in the alleged sabotage plot, calling it a “vague fabrication.” Multiple countries are cooperating to investigate and prevent further incidents of sabotage by foreign entities.
