Russian hybrid war sabotage plans revealed: Roads lead through Bosnia and Herzegovina, targets were…

The Polish prosecutor claims that the case involves the testimony of at least five people suspected of being part of a sabotage cell, as well as confidential findings by the security services.

According to Polish investigators, the Russian network used fake cosmetics, massage cushions and sex toys, along with improvised incendiary devices, to sabotage delivery depots in the UK, Germany and Poland last summer. According to a source familiar with the Polish investigation, everything points to an operation linked to the Russian military intelligence service GRU.

The packages exploded on 19, 20 and 21 July last year – in Birmingham, Leipzig in Germany and near Warsaw. Fortunately, no one was injured. In October, the European security services presented the case as an example of Russian “hybrid aggression”, which Moscow is using to destabilise countries that support Ukraine. According to several security officials, the aim was to test this type of attack so that similar explosives could be inserted in packages travelling on cargo planes to the US and Canada.

According to details provided to Reuters by a source close to the Polish investigation, the IEDs were hidden in pillows and the detonators were made from cheap Chinese-made electronic key tracking devices. The effect was amplified by gel substances placed in the tubes of “cosmetics”, which actually contained flammable ingredients such as nitromethane. Among the chemicals found in the packages was highly reactive magnesium.

The Polish prosecutor claims that the case involves the testimony of at least five people suspected of being part of a saboteur cell, as well as confidential findings by the security services. Among the suspects is a Ukrainian national, Vladyslav D., who investigators believe was a key person in sending the package. He allegedly received instructions via Telegram from a person who introduced himself as “Bojevnik”. In a statement to Reuters, the Polish Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that a fourth unexploded package had been found, allowing them to analyse the contents in detail.

According to investigators, Vladyslav drove from Katowice to Lithuania on 18 July, where he took the material from the vehicle in Kaunas, and then packed four packages in Vilnius, including pillows, tubes and sex toys. He activated the detonators before handing them over to a person with the code word “Mary” and the packages were shipped from Vilnius the same day.

He was arrested in Poland at the beginning of August and accused of terrorist activities for Russian intelligence. A court in Warsaw extended his detention until May. Vladyslav has denied the charges and, according to the prosecutor’s office, has made “extensive explanations”, the details of which are not publicly available due to the secrecy of the investigation.

Links to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The second suspect is a 44-year-old Russian citizen, Alexander B., who has also been identified as a member of the same cell. According to the Polish authorities, his task was to prepare the logistics for future shipments to North America by sending packages of sneakers and clothing to Washington and Ottawa in order to gather information on postal procedures and deadlines.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alexander B., known to the public as Alexander Bezrukavyi from Rostov-on-Don, was arrested. During his interrogation in Sarajevo, he stated that he had nothing to do with the sabotage plan. After a losing legal battle, he was extradited to Poland in February. He also denies all charges, including working for a foreign intelligence service.

Russia: ‘Fake news’ and ‘Russophobia’

The Kremlin has rejected allegations of involvement in sabotage. “We know nothing about it,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. “We do not rule out the possibility that this is another fake news story or a manifestation of a blind Russophobic narrative.”

The GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, did not respond to a request for comment.

Polish experts stress that the materials used for the devices – including fertilisers and pyrotechnics – can be obtained legally, and that the devices, although crudely made, are dangerous because of their invisibility and the possibility of remote triggering.

– This is an extremely cheap, highly effective and anonymous way of making explosive devices, – said Jarosław Stelmach, a former bomb disposal expert and director of the security consultancy Safety Project.

This investigation, reported by Reuters journalists in Warsaw, London and Vilnius, provides the most detailed account to date of suspicious activities linked to Russian intelligence operations on European soil./Oslobodjene.ba/