Latvia Convicts Two Russian Agents over Sabotage Targeting Defense Company

In Latvia, two people were convicted of carrying out a sabotage operation against PILOT Automotive Labs Europe—a company that develops unmaned vehicles—at the behest of a Russian security service, LSM reports.

The Riga City Court sentenced Denis Lukanenko to 10 years in prison and his common-law wife, Karina Ivanova, to 8.5 years of imprisonment.

The court also ordered them and other defendants in a separate proceeding to pay the company €3,146 in compensation for the damages caused.

Lukanenko’s lawyer noted that his client agreed to cooperate with a Russian security service in exchange for €1,000. Ivanova, meanwhile, maintained her innocence, but the court approved plea agreements for both of them.

On June 10, 2024, the Latvian State Security Service opened a criminal case against Ivanova and Lukanenko, as well as Konstantin Shiryaev and Konstantin Yakubovsky.

According to the investigation, the sabotage group was formed at the initiative of the Russian Federation’s security service. In the fall of 2023, its members set fire to a facility of a private company that was carrying out a project related to the defense sector.

In early 2024, they were also planning to set fire to a truck with Ukrainian license plates at a critical infrastructure facility.

In addition, the defendants conducted reconnaissance on other potential targets, took photographs and videos of them, and then sent the materials to the organizers in Russia.

Last month, it became known that four Latvian citizens were accused of spying for Russia through the Baltic Antifascists organization.

The organization’s founder has confirmed ties to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) and Russian intelligence.

The platform is also used as a tool to make people sign contracts with the Russian Armed Forces, conduct psychological operations, and gather intelligence data on Latvian territory.