Three suspects, including a Latvian and a Ukrainian detained in Slovakia and a Latvian detained in Germany, allegedly planned an arson attack on the Slovak facility of drone maker Skyeton. The company suggested Russia was behind the plot.
The alleged plot highlights potential geopolitical tensions and sabotage efforts targeting defense industry suppliers, particularly those involved in the production of technology used in conflicts like the one in Ukraine.
Three suspects allegedly planned an arson attack on the Slovak facility of drone maker Skyeton, the Slovak prosecution announced. The company produces intelligence gathering and targeting drones and has a factory in eastern Slovakia.
A spokesman for the regional prosecution office in Presov confirmed the attack was intended for Skyeton's factory. A German prosecutor stated that a 26-year-old Latvian national was detained in Hamburg in connection with the case, with extradition proceedings underway. Slovak authorities had previously detained two other suspects, identified as a Latvian and a Ukrainian.
During a raid, Slovak police reportedly found an incendiary mixture and a plan for the attack. They indicated the suspects acted on commission, but did not name the party suspected of ordering the operation. Skyeton, according to the Slovak news website dennikn.sk, suggested Russia was behind the attack, citing its sister operation in Ukraine and stating that Ukrainian defense producers are a 'thorn in the Russians' side'.
Skyeton's Slovak site was producing for Western markets, while its Ukrainian facility supplied the Ukrainian army. Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak was quoted as saying the Slovak site had no licenses to export to the east. A court in Presov ruled that the two suspects detained in Slovakia would remain in custody during the investigation.