German prosecutors announced on Tuesday that two Ukrainians have been charged with espionage and conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, after allegedly plotting to send explosive parcels from Germany to parts of Ukraine—under orders from a Russian intelligence service.
Daniil B. and Vladyslav T. stand accused of collaborating with a third suspect, Yevhen B., to send two GPS-equipped parcels from Cologne. Prosecutors said the parcels, containing trackers, were intended to map shipping routes, prior to the sending of subsequent packages containing incendiary devices.
According to the prosecutors
Such parcels were to be ignited in Germany or elsewhere on their way to parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia and cause as much damage as possible in order to undermine the population’s sense of security.
Vladyslav T. and Daniil B. were arrested in May in Cologne and Konstanz, respectively, while Yevhen B., initially detained in Switzerland, was extradited to Germany in December and will soon face charges.
The case comes amid a surge in suspected Russian espionage across Europe.
A Munich court in October sentenced a German-Russian national to six years in jail for spying for Moscow and plotting sabotage acts to undermine Germany’s support for Ukraine.
In November, Polish prosecutors charged five foreign nationals, including two Ukrainians and three Belarusians, with working for an unidentified intelligence service, as part of broader efforts to counter Russian sabotage. Since the start of the Ukraine war, Poland has arrested 55 people suspected of acting on behalf of Moscow.
In the UK, lasers from a Russian spy ship were used to disrupt the Royal Air Force operations tracking its activity near UK waters. The Russian Embassy, however, rejected the allegations, insisting in a statement that Russia is “not interested in British underwater communications.”
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