According to the agency, the packages with sex toys and cosmetics contained massage pillows with incendiary devices made from chemicals, including magnesium. At least two of the three explosions could have led to disasters.
According to the source, the chemicals were ignited using pre-set detonators adapted from cheap Chinese electronic gadgets used for tracking items, such as lost keys, and the effect was enhanced by tubes of cosmetics, which in reality contained gel made from flammable compounds, including nitromethane. "The investigation into this case concerns criminal activity inspired by the Russian GRU," a source close to the Polish investigation told Reuters.
European security service leaders disclosed information about the package fires in October, calling them part of a "hybrid war" waged by Russia to destabilize the functioning of countries supporting Ukraine, using tactics such as arson and cyberattacks. According to them, the packages that caught fire at warehouses in Birmingham, UK, Leipzig in Germany, and near the Polish capital Warsaw, were a trial version of a future Russian plan to detonate similar packages in the air on cargo flights to the United States and Canada.
The Kremlin denied accusations of Russia's involvement in the fires. "We know nothing about this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. "We do not rule out that this is just another fake news or a manifestation of blind Russophobia."
According to Yaroslav Stelmakh, a former bomb disposal specialist who runs the consulting company Safety Project, the ingredients and incendiary substances mentioned in the case are widely available in stores selling items such as fertilizers and pyrotechnics. "This is a very cheap, very effective, and very anonymous way of making explosive devices," he added.
According to a person familiar with the investigation, the Polish accusation version is based on the testimony of at least five alleged members of the supposed sabotage group, as well as on secret security service data. The National Prosecutor's Office told Reuters that investigators also seized a fourth package that did not explode at the Warsaw warehouse, allowing them to examine its contents intact.
According to Reuters, one of the executors was Ukrainian Vladislav Derkavets, who acted on the instructions of a GRU handler known by the nickname "Warrior." On July 18, 2024, he picked up several packages, including pillows with chemicals, and packed them in Vilnius, activating the devices. These packages were then sent to different countries.
Vladislav was arrested in Poland in early August and charged with committing terrorist acts at the behest of Russian intelligence. In January, a Warsaw court extended his detention near the capital until May, while the investigation continues.
Polish prosecutors also accuse 44-year-old Alexander Bezrukavov. According to them, his task was to prepare for an attack on cargo planes heading to North America, organizing the shipment of packages with sneakers and clothing from Warsaw to Washington and Ottawa to gather information on the methods and timing of package processing.