Three Ukrainians have been arrested over a plot to mail exploding parcels from Germany to Ukraine, prosecutors said, putting Europe's cross-border postal network in the spotlight as a target of suspected Russian sabotage.
Together with cases of parcels detonating at European depots last year, the arrests added to an air of suspicion in Europe, where intelligence officials have warned of a growing threat from hybrid attacks in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The plot detailed by German prosecutors on Wednesday was described as a test run involving GPS trackers to scope out routes for future arson and bombing attacks.
The suspects are believed to have been in contact with individuals working for Russian state institutions, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Two of the men, identified in line with German privacy laws only as Vladyslav T. and Daniil B., were arrested over the weekend in Germany. Another, identified as Yevhen B., was taken into custody on Tuesday in Switzerland.
"We know that Russia is trying to destabilise Western democracies by all means - including targeted sabotage and perfidious intelligence methods. Our security authorities ... are keeping a close eye on this threat," German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said in a statement on the arrests.
Last summer, a series of parcels blew up at depots in Britain, Germany and Poland. Security officials later said the parcels were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States.
Russia denied any involvement.
Those 2024 incidents were reported, opens new tab to have prompted then-President Joe Biden's White House to contact the Kremlin directly to tell it to stop such activity.
Under Biden's successor Donald Trump, the United States has since pulled back from coordinated efforts to counter alleged Russian sabotage.
DESTINATION UKRAINE
German prosecutors declined to comment on any connection between the latest case and the incidents of last summer. They did not specify whether the two parcels sent by the Ukrainian suspects were intended for air or overland transport.
The three Ukrainian nationals had prepared two "test parcels" containing GPS trackers to be sent from Cologne in western Germany in late March after telling one or more Russian state actors that they were prepared to carry out attacks, according to the prosecutors' statement.
Investigators believe the parcels were intended to scout out possible routes.
The Swiss Justice Ministry said Germany had requested extradition of the suspect arrested in Switzerland, but declined to give further details.
Last year, authorities warned businesses of the threat and logistics firm DHL (DHLn.DE), opens new tab took measures to protect its network following several fires at its warehouse in the eastern German city of Leipzig.
Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, told a parliamentary committee in October that the country had only narrowly escaped a plane crash when an air freight parcel caught fire.
Armenia and Russia have agreed to establish a joint working group to tackle railway infrastructure problems as Yerevan considers changes to Russian...
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at ...
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says the tumour was detected during a routine health check, but its stage and whether it has spread remain unknown.
Greek students braved heavy rain to pitch tents outside parliament in Athens on Tuesday, demanding affordable housing and more education funding as rising living costs put university places beyond the reach of some students.
A former Ukrainian military officer has gone on trial in Germany, accused of orchestrating the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions that disrupted a major route for Russian gas supplies to Europe.
Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a judicial body which settles maritime disputes, to halt British-authorised oil activity near the Falkland Islands, escalating a sovereignty dispute over the archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment