Recently, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk blamed Russia in the preparation of global terrorist actions aimed at destroying aircraft in the air. He emphasized that the Polish side is actively preventing these “sabotage operations”.
Tusk at a press conference in Warsaw remembered cases involving incendiary devices found in the summer in Great Britain, Germany and Poland. In particular, there were parcels with explosive devices discovered in a warehouse in Birmingham and on the runway of Leipzig Airport, one of which even caused a fire during transport.
Tusk noted that these events may indicate Russia’s broader plans that threaten not only Poland, but also other countries. He also hinted at Russia’s involvement in organizing similar attacks through the parcel delivery system, noting that these attempts could be aimed at destabilizing the situation in the United States.
The Shadow Threat: How the GRU Uses Explosive Devices to Destabilize Europe
At the beginning of the war, Russia tried to limit the conflict to the territory of Ukraine, avoiding strikes on NATO countries. However, last year there was a series of sabotage in Europe. Yes, a large-scale event took place in Berlin in May fire at a metallurgical plant that supplies materials for the production of IRIS-T missile components. Initially, it was reported that the fire was at a weapons manufacturing plant, but later it became known that the incident was related to a metal supplier.
At the same time, they became more frequent in the Baltic Sea region cases of jamming of GPS signals, which paralyzed the navigation systems of aviation and shipping, creating a real threat to security. The most critical events were in December, when damaged several submarine fiber optic cables, including Estlink 2 connecting Finland and Estonia. It is suspected that the actions were caused by the Russian “shadow fleet” of barges, which operated under cover to carry out sabotage tasks.
These events caused serious concern among European countries and NATO, which forced to strengthen security measures to protect critical infrastructure. Responding to growing threats, Great Britain launched the Nordic Warden system for monitoring underwater infrastructure and tracking the actions of the Russian “shadow fleet”.
American intelligence helped Germany prevent attempt on the head of the Rheinmetall company, which was sending weapons to Ukraine. The situation worsened after explosion at the DHL facility in Leipzig. One of the devices, sent from Lithuania and discovered in Birmingham and Leipzig, was placed in a massager. It revealed flaws in the security screening system for international parcels. Although security measures were tightened, the public was hardly informed about it.
The head of German intelligence, Haldenwang, said that thanks to timely actions, the disaster was avoided. Similar devices were also discovered in Great Britain and Poland.
In August, the CIA and other intelligence agencies concluded that the explosive devices in Leipzig, Birmingham and Poland were part of a test organized by the GRU. They were sent from Vilnius, Lithuania, to test the safety of transportation systems in Europe.
These events changed life in Europe, destroying the sense of security that had been felt since the end of the Cold War. Now there is a constant search for saboteurs in airports, ports and on the streets of Berlin, Tallinn and London.
How the US stopped Russian sabotage and warned against a new threat
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, focused on the threat and began talks with Russian officials, hinting at Russian involvement in the plot. Similar warnings were given to the heads of the FSB and SVR by CIA director William Burns. US officials stressed the serious risk to the safety of civilians, especially if the devices were activated during flight.
Although a crisis was averted, this case showed that threats are spreading to new areas. According to experts, Russia is increasingly acting as a force that seeks to destabilize the international order through sabotage and shadow operations.
Last year, aides to President Joe Biden tried warn Putin about the dangers associated with Russian plans to use explosives on cargo planes. American intelligence has found that the Russian military, including the GRU, tested the delivery of packages with explosives that could cause fires during transport.
After incidents with the attacks at the airports of Germany, Great Britain and Poland, Washington was convinced that Russia was behind these sabotages. However, US intelligence discovered a larger plan: to transfer these attacks to the territory of the United States and Canada, striking through air transport.
Particularly alarming was the information that not only cargo but also passenger planes, which sometimes carry small parcels in cargo compartments, may be at risk. Minister of Internal Security Mayorkas emphasized, that such actions created a huge risk of disaster on board loaded planes. In August, Mallorca introduced additional checks on cargo bound for the US. In October, the threat was repeated, and he called on airlines to increase security.
The White House tried to find out whether Putin knew about the preparation of terrorist attacks. Joe Biden enlisted National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William Burns to deliver the warning to Putin.
The warnings included threats to accuse Russia of supporting terrorism if the explosions caused casualties, raising the conflict between Washington and Moscow to a new level. The standoff continues through covert operations where Russia tries to undermine NATO’s support for Ukraine while avoiding direct military conflict.
However, Putin’s warning paid off: the series of fires in Europe stopped. However, it remains unclear whether this is due to his order and how long this lull will last. There are fears that Russia may use the pause to develop more effective diversions.
The details of the secret negotiations with the Kremlin began to be revealed only recently. Officials recognize their success, but are concerned that Russia may transfer combat operations with new methods to the territory of Europe or America.
Senior White House officials have analyzed recordings of conversations between representatives of Russia’s GRU, in which incendiary devices were called a test for a possible attack on the United States. President Biden, through his emissaries, conveyed to Putin that Washington would view such actions as aiding and abetting terrorism.
In September, the head of German intelligence, Haldenwang, told parliament that the device catching fire during the flight could have led to the disaster. Photo of the fire in Birmingham, published in December, show bright flames that could have wreaked havoc if the device had gone off in mid-air. It is worth explaining that an ignition device based on magnesium creates an intense flame that is difficult to extinguish. The use of water only worsens the situation, which could be fatal in the event of a fire on board an aircraft, where special powder fire extinguishers may not be available or unknown to the crew.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry had no comment, continuing to deny any involvement in the bombings, arson attacks or other sabotage that Western officials said were carried out by agents linked to Russia.
… Next time we will look at why magnesium is chosen for ignition devices and how this makes it difficult to extinguish fires. We will also discuss the reaction of other countries, in particular the new security measures implemented through ICAO, and why Lithuania has become the starting point for parcels. Special attention will be paid to vulnerabilities in the international transportation system that allow the passage of dangerous goods, and possible legal consequences for Russia if its involvement is proven. This issue will have a significant impact on its status in international law and relations with NATO. We will also find out how the intelligence services detected these threats and whether this situation is an example of improved cooperation between NATO countries. It is important to understand how information sharing mechanisms, data sharing and technology tools contribute to effectively preventing similar attacks in the future.
Tetyana Viktorova
