May 15, 2025 | Germany
Three men from Ukraine were arrested in Germany and Switzerland. They are suspected of planning to send parcels with bombs or things that could catch fire from Germany to Ukraine. German prosecutors say these men worked for people who might be connected to Russia.
The men are accused of spying and planning to cause fires and explosions. German prosecutors said the men agreed to carry out these dangerous acts to sabotage transport routes in Germany.
This is part of a bigger pattern. Since Russia started its full invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, Western officials have accused Russia and its helpers of many attacks and incidents in Europe. Russia denies these accusations.
Two men, called Vladyslav T. and Daniil B. (their last names are hidden for privacy), were arrested in Germany on Friday and Saturday. The third man, Yevhen B., was arrested on Tuesday in northern Switzerland.
The prosecutors said that in March, the men told people believed to work for Russian intelligence that they were ready to carry out attacks on freight transport in Germany. The plan was to send packages that would explode or catch fire while being sent to Ukraine.
One man, Vladyslav T., sent two “test packages” from Cologne at the end of March. These packages had GPS trackers inside. The trackers were used to check how the packages were transported. Prosecutors said Vladyslav was told to do this by Yevhen B. Yevhen gave the packages’ contents to Daniil B., who helped send them.
German prosecutors did not say exactly what was inside the packages or where they were sent.
Herbert Reul, a top security official in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (where Cologne is), said the test packages probably did not have explosives or fuel. He said the men seemed like “low-level agents” — people who were hired for little money to work for Russia.
Last year, there was a similar case. Western security officials believe Russian spies tried to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes going to North America. One package caught fire at a courier center in Germany, and another caught fire in a warehouse in the United Kingdom.
German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said after the arrests, “We know that Russia is trying by all means to disturb Western democracies, including through sabotage and secret intelligence actions.”
This case shows the ongoing threat Russia poses to Europe. Even though the Kremlin denies involvement, Western countries are watching closely. They want to stop such dangerous plans and protect their countries from sabotage.
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