Polish law enforcement officers are investigating a series of parcel bombings in European countries, which are suspected of being organized by Russian special services.
Reuters reports this, citing sources.
The investigation concerns three bombings that took place on July 19, 20 and 21, 2024, in the British city of Birmingham, Leipzig in Germany and near the Polish capital of Warsaw. It is based on the testimony of at least five suspected members of a sabotage group, as well as secret conclusions from security services.
Investigators also seized a fourth package that did not explode at the Warsaw depot, allowing them to check its contents.
Polish investigators say a key role in the bombings was played by a Ukrainian named Vladyslav D., who lived in southern Poland. He acted on instructions he received on Telegram from a GRU handler he knew only as "Warrior".
The suspectʼs full name is Vladyslav Derkavets, and his name appears in a court case in Bosnia related to the Polish investigation.
According to investigators, on July 18, 2024, Vladyslav drove from his home in Katowice across the border to the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, where he collected more than a dozen items from the trunk of a parked car. The 27-year-old then drove to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, where he put together four packages — each containing a pillow, several tubes of cosmetics, and a sex toy. Before sealing them, he pressed two buttons to activate the delayed detonation mechanisms.
According to sources, the pillows contained concealed improvised incendiary devices made from a cocktail of chemicals, including highly reactive magnesium. The chemicals were ignited by pre-installed detonators, and the effect was enhanced by tubes that looked like cosmetics but actually contained a gel made from flammable compounds, including nitromethane.
On July 19, Vladyslav handed over the packages to a man in a park in Vilnius, who used the code word “Maria”. The packages were sent out of the city the same day.
Vladyslav was arrested in Poland in early August and charged with terrorist attacks ordered by Russian intelligence. In January, a Warsaw court extended his detention until May while the investigation continues.
The case also includes 44-year-old Alexander Bezrukavy, a Russian citizen from Rostov-on-Don. His task was to prepare for attacks on cargo planes bound for North America. He was to organize the shipment of packages containing sneakers and clothing from Warsaw to Washington and Ottawa, as well as collect information on the methods and timing of processing the packages.
Aleksander was extradited from Bosnia by Polish law enforcement in February. At a hearing in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo in January, he said he had not participated in or known about any plot against the warehouses or cargo planes.
- Arson attacks committed in favour of Russia have intensified in Europe over the summer. For example, a commercial facility linked to Ukraine was set on fire in Britain.
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