Russia conducted a covert operation and planned arson on board cargo or passenger planes flying to the US and Canada. For this, two incendiary devices were sent via DHL, a source in Western intelligence agencies told the Wall Street Journal.
The devices exploded in DHL logistics centers in Germany and England in July, one in Leipzig, the other in Birmingham. The publication's interlocutors explained that these packages were an attempt to test whether fires could be started on planes flying to North America.
At DHL warehouses, electric massagers with a magnesium-based flammable substance inside caught fire. It would be difficult to extinguish a fire after magnesium ignition using systems available on board the plane, noted the German police. According to experts, if such items caught fire on board a plane, it would have to make an emergency landing, which is "difficult to do over the ocean".
Several months after the fires in DHL logistics centers, the heads of both British intelligence services announced Russian sabotage operations. In September, Richard Moore, head of MI-6, the British foreign intelligence service, stated that Russian spy agencies had "gone somewhat wild in their behavior". A month later, Ken McCallum, head of MI5, the British domestic intelligence service, warned that Russia was organizing "dangerous actions carried out with increasing recklessness".
Lithuanian police arrested a suspect who sent four incendiary devices, including two from a DHL office in Vilnius, a representative of European law enforcement agencies reported. The suspect called himself Igor Prudnikov, but his real name is Alexander Suranovas, the official said. Investigators believe he was used as a proxy by Russian intelligence agencies. Western intelligence representatives believe the arson was organized by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to WSJ, Polish security forces detained four people suspected of preparing sabotage, whose identities are not disclosed. According to the prosecution, the group planned to test the package delivery channel, which were ultimately intended to be sent to the US or Canada. Polish intelligence believes that the Russian authorities are behind this.
European authorities have repeatedly stated that Russia is behind a campaign of sabotage, including arson in the UK and Czech Republic, attacks on pipelines and data transmission cables in the Baltics, and interference with water supply in Sweden and Finland.
Photo: IMAGO