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The Russian military intelligence service GRU is said to be behind the international operation. Several high-ranking members of the GRU are said to be linked to the sabotage plans...
On July 20, 2024, a package exploded in a container at Leipzig Airport. Miraculously, no one was injured. The fire was extinguished hours later. The package was supposed to be on a plane bound for London a long time ago, but due to a delay, it got stuck in the container and fortunately did not explode on board a plane.
Just a day later, the incident was repeated near Warsaw. In a suburb, a fire broke out at the premises of a transport company. No one was injured. The work to extinguish the fire again lasted for hours.
A day later, a third explosion occurs at DHL facilities near Birmingham Airport. Here too, miraculously, no one is injured.
Security authorities suspect Russian spies
Security circles quickly suspected Russian sabotage. Investigations by WDR, NDR and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" confirm these suspicions and present new information in an ARD documentary. The Russian military intelligence service GRU is said to be behind the international operation. Several high-ranking members of the GRU are said to be connected to the sabotage plans.
WDR, NDR and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" were able to publish photos of the explosive device in Leipzig for the first time. The images show the spread of the fire and the tragedy that would have occurred if the explosion had occurred on board the plane.
The incidents are apparently just the tip of the iceberg. Security authorities suspect Russia of being responsible for dozens of incidents. According to research, the Russian secret service, which is based in Germany, is a confusing network of agents.
Information from the GRU is constantly transmitted through intermediaries and helpers, mainly through the Telegram messaging service. Recruitment also takes place here. Experts speak of "disposable agents" - people who are not official intelligence officers and who do the dirty work for the GRU.
Explosive device with massage cushions and sex toys
In the case of the packages, the network of agents worked like this: A person still unknown today packed several packages of massage pillows and sex toys in the summer of 2024. A timer-activated detonating device is hidden in each pillow. The packages are transported by car across Europe, via Warsaw (Poland) to Lithuania. In Vilnius, the device is placed with explosives in a hotel room. Finally, the packages arrive on board various aircraft via a DHL reception point.
A total of ten people are said to be involved. Investigators have already arrested several people involved in Lithuania, Poland, England and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many are said to not even know their exact background.
But what is Putin's goal with such actions?
Bruno Kahl, president of the Federal Intelligence Service, who speaks in the ARD documentary, sees the behavior as a demonstration of power. Moreover, it is about disturbing society and politics with the aim of sabotaging support for Ukraine.
When questioned by journalists, the Russian embassy in Berlin denied that Moscow was behind the incidents and spoke of "paranoia" and "conspiracy theories."
James Appathurai, who is responsible for strategies to counter hybrid attacks at NATO, among other things, summarizes the scope of the incidents: "an aircraft could catch fire and kill everyone on board. It could crash into a residential area and kill the people living there. And for these very reasons, we consider this an escalation."
A spokeswoman for the Federal Interior Ministry told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that the investigation into the Leipzig incident was "continuing intensively."
"We can definitely say that in Germany the risk of sabotage or similar preparatory actions, including by the Russian authorities, has increased significantly since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine," the spokeswoman continued. / Adapted from Bild Pamphlet /
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