Germany charges two Ukrainians over Russia-linked parcel bomb plot

German prosecutors have charged two Ukrainian nationals with planning arson and explosive attacks on behalf of Russian intelligence.

The two men are accused of having sent parcels containing GPS tracking devices from Cologne to Ukraine to test potential routes ahead of the planned attacks, according to the charges brought at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe said the plan was to mail packages containing explosive devices that “ignite in Germany or elsewhere on their way to parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia” to cause “as much damage as possible in order to undermine the population’s sense of security.”

The two men, who were arrested at separate locations in Germany in May, face charges including acting as secret agents, acting as agents for the purpose of sabotage, and conspiring to commit aggravated arson.

A third Ukrainian thought to be an accomplice in the case was arrested in the Swiss canton of Thurgau on May 13. He was recently extradited to Germany and is set to be charged in the case soon, federal prosecutors said.

All three men are in pre-trial detention.

One of the suspects is believed to have mailed two test packages containing GPS trackers at the end of March last year, prosecutors said following his arrest in Cologne.

He was given the order to do so by the man arrested in Switzerland, who is also believed to have supplied the tracking devices via the third suspect, who was arrested in the southern German city of Konstanz.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has reported a steep rise in espionage, sabotage and disinformation efforts targeting the country since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with both state and non-state actors believed to be behind the rising threat.

In October 2024, German intelligence officials said an act of sabotage believed to be linked to Russia came close to causing a plane crash in Germany earlier that year.

The incident in July 2024 saw a package catch fire at a DHL logistics centre in the eastern city of Leipzig, setting a cargo container alight.

In February 2025, it became known that German police were probing a possible Russian connection after the exhaust pipes of several cars across the country were blocked with construction foam.

According to initial investigations, those responsible may have received money from a Russian client, according to security sources.