Germany accuses Ukrainians of preparing sabotage on behalf of Russia. They have been detained

The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has detained three Ukrainian citizens on suspicion of preparing sabotage on behalf of Russia.

DW reported on this.

The detentions took place on May 9-13 in Germany and Switzerland, the agency reported on Wednesday, May 14.

The detained men – Vladyslav T., Danylo B., and Yevhen B. – are accused of “espionage with the aim of sabotage.”

According to the investigation, they were preparing to commit arson and explosions in freight transport on behalf of Russian special services.

The prosecutor’s office believes that the men planned to ship parcels containing explosive devices from Germany to recipients in Ukraine, which could have detonated during transport.

To investigate the transport routes, one of them allegedly sent two test parcels to Cologne, which, among other things, contained GPS trackers.

Vladyslav T. and Danylo B., detained in Cologne and Konstanz, Germany, are currently in custody.

Another suspect, Yevhen B., arrested in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, will be extradited to Germany. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is conducting the investigation.

In recent years, Russian special services have been active in Europe, recruiting citizens of various countries for espionage and sabotage.

In particular, French intelligence has released information about large-scale espionage and sabotage activities by Russia against France. Details were published in a 16-page report entitled “Russian threats and actions against France.” The document refers to cyberattacks, espionage, sabotage, and attempts to influence political processes.

Six Bulgarian citizens were recently convicted in the UK for spying for Russia.