Germany uncovers secret weapons depot linked to Russian intelligence
Photo: secret weapons cache was discovered in Germany (Getty Images)
German intelligence services are investigating the discovery of a secret weapons and ammunition cache in a forest near Berlin. Investigators suspect that agents of Russian intelligence services may have been preparing assassination attempts and acts of sabotage, according to Der Spiegel.
Investigation details and secret operation
The weapons were found in a wooded area near the German capital last year. Law enforcement agencies carried out a covert operation, with police specialists secretly modifying the weapons and rendering them unusable.
The cache was then monitored for several months, but no one ever came to retrieve the weapons.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe launched an investigation into the preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state.
Law enforcement officers found evidence that the cache had been set up on the orders of Russian intelligence services. One of the suspects was later arrested in Romania.
Links to sabotage targeting Ukraine
Investigators are examining possible links between the cache and Russia’s sabotage campaign targeting supply logistics to Ukraine.
The scheme involved sending packages containing explosives and detonators that could be detonated remotely or during transportation.
This posed a threat to cargo aircraft, transport networks and logistics centers across Europe.
Russian hybrid attacks in EU countries
According to investigators, similar acts of sabotage have already been recorded in several countries.
Poland — intelligence services arrested a group of people who were preparing explosive packages designed to detonate while in transit.
Germany — at Leipzig Airport, a package containing an improvised device caught fire inside a cargo container.
Romania — law enforcement officers arrested several suspects allegedly involved in the logistics of explosive shipments.
The main goal of these attacks is to intimidate civilians in Europe and undermine stability in NATO and EU countries.
Russian intelligence sabotage operations in Europe
It should be recalled that this is not the first case of hostile agents becoming active in the European Union. Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service, together with the FBI, exposed Russian intelligence services’ systematic attempts to hack the messengers used by officials in Ukraine, Europe and the United States.
In addition, Germany has already begun discussing a tough response to hybrid threats. In particular, the authorities are considering closing the Russian House in Berlin following a major incident involving an explosive device that caught fire in Leipzig.
