Three Ukrainians have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the shipment of exploding packages, German prosecutors said on Wednesday, after a series of fires at European courier depots pointed to suspected Russian sabotage.
Packages detonated at depots in Britain, Germany and Poland last summer added to an air of suspicion in Europe, where intelligence officials have warned of a growing threat from hybrid attacks in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
The suspects are believed to have been in contact with individuals working for Russian state institutions, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Two of the men, identified in line with German privacy laws only as Vladyslav T. and Daniil B., were arrested over the weekend in Germany. Another, identified as Yevhen B., was arrested on Tuesday in Switzerland.
"The defendants are strongly suspected of acting as agents for the purpose of sabotage," the statement said, accusing them of agreeing to commit serious arson and procure explosives.
Security officials told Reuters the exploding packages at logistics depots in Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States. Russia denied this.
Prosecutors did not specify whether the packages were aimed at air or ground transportation.
Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, told a parliamentary committee in October that Germany had only narrowly avoided a plane crash when an air freight parcel caught fire.
Authorities have warned businesses of the threat, and logistics firm DHL took measures to protect its network following several fires at its warehouse in Leipzig.
Prosecutors in Germany said the three suspected agents had agreed with one or more Russian state actors to send devices in the mail to recipients in Ukraine in a plot that was active until at least the end of March 2025.
In order to assess possible routes, Vladyslav T. submitted two test packages in Cologne in late March containing GPS trackers, they said. The order was placed by Yevhen B., who provided the contents of the packages with the help of Daniil B., according to the statement.
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