A secret weapons and ammunition cache has been discovered in a wooded area near Berlin, which, according to the prosecution, was set up on the orders of Russian intelligence services. German special services are investigating the incident, suspecting that the cache was used to prepare assassinations and sabotage acts. Law enforcement authorities report that the weapons were found as far back as last year, but the case only became public after a series of closed investigative actions were completed.
Covert operation and months of surveillance
Security forces conducted a covert operation: police specialists inconspicuously modified the seized weapon samples, rendering them effectively unusable. This allowed the cache to remain "active" and enabled investigators to track who and when would come for it. The cache was monitored for several months, but no one came for the weapons. According to the investigation, this delay provided time to secure evidence and identify the organizers.
Investigation in Karlsruhe and arrest in Romania
The Federal Prosecutor General in Karlsruhe has opened a case for the preparation of a serious act of violence threatening the state. Law enforcement officials state they have evidence linking the cache to Russian intelligence agencies. As part of the investigation, one of the suspects was subsequently detained on the territory of Romania. The investigation is also checking the possible involvement of this group in a broader sabotage campaign aimed at supply logistics to Ukraine.
Sabotage scheme against European logistics
According to investigative materials, a scheme was planned to send mail packages containing explosives and detonators capable of triggering remotely or during transport. Such a construction posed a direct threat to cargo planes, ground transport, and logistics centers throughout Europe. Similar sabotage incidents, according to investigators, have already been recorded in several countries: a group preparing explosive mailings for detonation in transit was detained in Poland; a package with a homemade device caught fire directly in a cargo container at Leipzig airport; suspects involved in the logistics of explosive shipments were arrested in Romania. The stated goal of such attacks is to intimidate the civilian population of Europe and undermine stability in NATO and EU countries.
Contradictory data
There is an inconsistency in the chronology in the open materials: some sources indicate that the weapons were found "as early as last year," while the arrest in Romania and the active phase of the investigation are described in the present tense, without exact dates. Furthermore, statements about "evidence" of links to Russian intelligence agencies and "suspicions" of preparing assassinations, phrased differently, can be read in various ways: the investigation uses both accusatory and hypothetical tones. Until court decisions are made, some details (including the modification of weapons and months of surveillance) are being revealed for the first time and are not confirmed by independent secondary sources.
Context: hybrid threats and the fate of the "Russian House"
The case of the Berlin cache fits into the broader context of the activation of hostile agents in the European Union. Previously, the SBU, together with the FBI, reported on systematic attempts by Russian intelligence services to "hack" the messengers of officials in Ukraine, Europe, and the USA. Against the backdrop of the incident with the explosion of a device in Leipzig, Germany has already spoken about a tough response to hybrid threats: the country's authorities are considering the possibility of closing the "Russian House" in Berlin.
