Key facts
- Handguns were discovered in a forest near Berlin by German security authorities.
- Authorities suspect the weapons were intended for assassinations orchestrated by Russian intelligence.
- A suspect has reportedly been arrested in Romania.
- Potential targets included defense industry executives, exiled opposition figures, and Ukraine supporters.
- Germany's domestic intelligence service believes the cache was set up on orders from Russian services.
German security authorities discovered a cache of handguns in a forest near Berlin last year, which they believe were intended for assassinations on behalf of Russian intelligence, according to reports by Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR, and WDR. The federal public prosecutor’s office is investigating the case on suspicion of planning a serious act of violence that poses a threat to the state. Germany's domestic intelligence service is reportedly convinced that the individuals responsible for setting up the weapons storage were acting on orders from Russian services. Potential targets are said to include defense industry executives, exiled opposition figures, and supporters of Ukraine. One suspect has reportedly been arrested in Romania and may have been responsible for establishing the weapons storage. The Russian embassy has not immediately responded to requests for comment. In a separate, unrelated discovery in May 2026, 1.5 tonnes of Soviet-era ammunition from World War II were found in a forest in Berlin's Pankow district.