A disturbing revelation has come to light, exposing a chilling Russian plot to detonate cargo flights bound for the United States. Security officials have confirmed that exploding parcels discovered in logistics depots across Europe were part of a test run for this sinister operation. This revelation underscores the gravity of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow has been implicated in a series of fires and acts of sabotage aimed at destabilizing allies of Kyiv.
The explosions in courier depots in Britain, Germany, and Poland this July, initially attributed to Russia by a Lithuanian presidential advisor, have now been confirmed as part of a larger Russian operation. The potential for these explosions to escalate the conflict, potentially causing a catastrophic event on an aircraft, cannot be overstated.
“I can state that this is part of unconventional kinetic operations against NATO countries that are being undertaken by the Russian military intelligence,” Kestutis Budrys, a national security advisor to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, told Reuters. “We note that these operations are being escalated: their focus is moving… to harming infrastructure and actions that could end up killing people,” he added.
The Wall Street Journal, citing Western security officials, reported that the devices which ignited in DHL depots in Birmingham, central England, and Leipzig, were part of a larger Russian operation designed to cause fires on cargo or passenger flights to North America. The US Transportation Security Administration has since implemented additional security measures for US aircraft operators and foreign air carriers regarding certain cargo shipments bound for the United States in response to this threat.
Poland has been actively investigating the explosive parcels sent by courier to EU countries and Britain as part of a wider plot targeting the United States and Canada. In October, they detained four individuals in connection with this operation. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has directly communicated to Russia that any threat to the safety and security of Canadians is unacceptable, although they have assured the public that there is no imminent threat at this time.
While Warsaw has blamed foreign intelligence services for the plot without naming Russia specifically, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported in October that a parcel caused a fire in a truck at a site belonging to a courier firm near Warsaw. They also reported that the exploding parcels in Poland, Germany, and Britain had been sent from Lithuania.
Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene confirmed that Vilnius is investigating the parcels and arrests have been made both in Lithuania and other countries. “Our investigation is ongoing quite intensely, in cooperation with institutions in other countries,” she said. “And at this moment we have people under arrest, but I will not say the number to avoid harm to the investigation.”
The FBI and Britain’s Home Office have declined to comment on the matter, while the UK’s Security Service (MI5) Director General Ken McCallum stated in October that Russia’s GRU military intelligence service was attempting to cause “mayhem” across Britain and Europe. Poland, in response to suspected Russian attempts at sabotage, closed the Russian consulate in the western city of Poznan in October.
This series of events highlights the escalating threat posed by Russia’s unconventional warfare tactics, which extend beyond the battlefield in Ukraine and target critical infrastructure and civilian populations in allied nations. It underscores the need for international cooperation and heightened vigilance to counter these insidious activities.
