A Ukrainian man detained in Romania for allegedly establishing a weapons cache near Berlin is suspected of being part of a Russian-controlled agent network, according to a report citing investigation files. German authorities are discussing his potential extradition.
The alleged involvement of a Russian-controlled network in establishing weapons caches and dispatching incendiary devices in Europe raises concerns about ongoing state-sponsored destabilization efforts and potential threats to security in the region.
A Ukrainian man detained in Romania for allegedly establishing a weapons cache near Berlin is suspected by investigators of being part of a Russian-controlled agent network, according to a report by Spiegel magazine citing unnamed sources. German authorities are discussing the man's possible extradition from Romania.
Spiegel cited Polish investigation files indicating that the 24-year-old Ukrainian traveled from Poland to Berlin on October 1 last year. He allegedly picked up two parcels containing handguns from a roadside and hid them in an underground depot near a lake in the capital's southeast. The report states he then returned to Poland but was later detained in Bucharest with another Ukrainian on suspicion of dispatching parcels with incendiary devices via the Ukrainian express delivery service Nova Post.
According to Spiegel, Romanian intelligence services indicated that the two suspects are part of a network of saboteurs controlled by Russian state services, targeting European countries. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated last week that he could not rule out the involvement of foreign powers, describing the suspect as a "low-level agent" who lacked knowledge of his command structure. Dobrindt also noted at the time that the suspect was being held for allegedly helping to prepare parcel bomb attacks.