Warsaw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Polish prosecutors have charged two Russian nationals with espionage for Russian intelligence, with one of them also charged with planning to send a parcel containing explosives, according to prosecutors on Monday.
European authorities have been highly alert to the threat of explosive packages following a series of explosions at courier depots in Britain, Germany, and near Warsaw in July 2024. Western officials attributed those incidents to Russia. Russia denies such accusations.
How were Russian nationals linked to the bomb plot?
Under Polish privacy laws, one Russian individual known as Igor R. was charged with involvement in a plot to deliver a parcel bomb through a courier. An earlier charge also implicated a Ukrainian citizen in the same case year.
“The parcel contained explosive devices and materials in the form of nitroglycerine, as well as hidden military-grade electric detonators and initiating devices… The entire package constituted a so-called shaped charge bomb,”
prosecutors stated.
Igor R. and his wife Irina were also accused of supplying Russian intelligence with details about Russian opposition activists living in Poland, along with individuals and organisations supporting them. It said that Kristina S. was being charged under an article of the penal code relating to causing damage through arson or explosions.
Were Russian intelligence agencies behind European courier attacks?
Western officials have previously stated that Russia attempted to destabilise Ukraine’s allies through sabotage. The July explosions at courier depots in Britain, Germany, and Poland could have represented a significant escalation, as they had the potential to cause an aircraft explosion.
Security officials stated that the parcels were part of a plan intended to cause explosions on cargo flights heading to the United States and Canada.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Western security officials stated the devices that ignited at DHL depots in Birmingham, central England, and Leipzig were part of a Russian operation aimed at causing fires on cargo or passenger flights heading to North America.
How did Western officials trace the July explosions to Russia?
In 2024, one significant parcel bombing incident associated with Russia involved a wave of parcel bomb explosions across Europe organised by the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service.
Explosive devices hidden inside parcels sent through courier companies DHL and DPD detonated at logistics centres and transport facilities in various countries, including Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The parcels held explosive devices containing incendiary or volatile material, including nitromethane and thermite.
