Investigators are apparently attributing an attempted arson attack in Munich in early September to a Russian intelligence service. According to reports cited by the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, security circles believe that on September 3rd, incendiary devices were thrown from a moving vehicle onto a construction site located near the central offices of the technology and defense companies Rohde & Schwarz and Helsing. Notably, Helsing manufactures drones used by the Ukrainian armed forces.
This incident marks the second such attack in Germany within a single month, following a failed drone strike at Leipzig Airport on August 4th, both incidents for which authorities name Russia as the perpetrator. While the fire in Munich was quickly contained, an incendiary device was successfully defused. Two individuals of Bulgarian nationality were arrested and are considered to be low-level, inexperienced helpers recruited for the operation.
Just like in Leipzig, security agencies point towards Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) behind the attack. The GRU team allegedly involved in the Munich plot was also planning sabotage actions in Slovakia, though that attempt failed. The GRU is considered a particularly effective weapon in Moscow’s hybrid war against the West. Security services hold the organization responsible for sabotage acts across Germany, Poland, the Baltic states, and other EU nations, typically involving the use of bombs, incendiary devices, or weapons. The ultimate goal of these actions is to disrupt military transport routes bound for Ukraine, thereby encouraging Germany and other European states to reduce or cease their support for Kyiv.
In the case of Leipzig, the suspected target was a Ukrainian Antonov transport plane that was meant to be destroyed by a drone loaded with explosives. Furthermore, the GRU employs tactics reminiscent of the Cold War era, such as using dead drops and underground caches. According to the “FAZ”, intelligence sources revealed that even the drone used in the Leipzig attack had been stored in an underground hideout.
