German security authorities have found strong indications that a suspected arson attack near defense companies in Munich may have been carried out on behalf of a Russian intelligence service, German broadcaster Tagesschau reported on 3 September.
The attack is part of a growing series of suspected sabotage and espionage operations in Germany as European governments warn that Russia is using covert methods to target countries supporting Ukraine.
Two Bulgarian nationals were arrested after allegedly throwing incendiary devices at a construction site near the headquarters of Rohde & Schwarz in Munich. One device started a fire, while another was found unexploded and neutralized by police specialists. No one was injured and there was no major damage. The two suspects were placed in pre-trial detention on 4 September, according to Tagesschau.
Rohde & Schwarz develops defense and security technology, including systems used to detect, track and jam drones. The construction site is also near the headquarters of Helsing, a German defense company that produces AI-enabled combat drones and supplies Ukraine’s armed forces.
It has not been established whether either company was specifically targeted.
Investigators suspect Russian intelligence link
According to Tagesschau, German security authorities have strong indications that the Munich attack could have been carried out by so-called “low-level” or disposable agents working for Russian intelligence services.
Such agents can be recruited through intermediaries to carry out individual tasks for payment, ranging from photographing defense companies to conducting sabotage operations.
German authorities have already identified other cases in which people were allegedly recruited to gather information on defense companies involved in supporting Ukraine.
In August, German authorities arrested a 33-year-old Ukrainian citizen in Thuringia who is accused of photographing a Bavarian defense company in June and sending the images to an alleged handler. Investigators suspect the activity was preparation for a sabotage operation, according to Tagesschau.
German authorities also arrested two people in March over an alleged plot to spy on a Bavarian drone manufacturer and its managing director. Investigators said they believed the operation may have been intended to prepare the man’s assassination.
Power-grid attacks remain unresolved
The Munich attack came days after two attempts to sabotage Germany’s electricity grid in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The attacks involved improvised devices apparently designed to cause short circuits on high-voltage lines. German investigators are treating the cases as possible terrorism or anti-constitutional sabotage, according to Tagesschau.
Authorities believe the two attacks may be connected, but have not established who was behind them. A Russian intelligence connection remains possible, although investigators currently have no evidence linking the power-grid attacks to the suspected Russian operation in Munich.
German authorities are investigating multiple possible forms of hybrid activity rather than assuming that every recent sabotage incident has the same origin.
More than 165 suspected sabotage cases and 747 suspicious drone incidents in Germany this year
The incidents come amid a broader increase in suspected sabotage and espionage activity in Germany.
A confidential assessment by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded more than 165 suspected sabotage cases across Germany between January and the end of August, according to Tagesschau.
The assessment also recorded 112 crimes linked to espionage, including 26 cases in which authorities suspect agent activity for sabotage purposes.
German authorities recorded 747 suspicious drone incidents during the same period, involving 1,068 drones spotted over critical infrastructure, military facilities and defense companies.
The figures do not establish that Russia was responsible for all of these incidents. But German authorities have increasingly identified Russian intelligence services as a potential source of sabotage and espionage as Moscow seeks to pressure European countries supporting Ukraine.
Germany and its allies have also accused Russia of being behind an August drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin and its partners described as part of a Russian hybrid campaign intended to intimidate and divide European countries supporting Ukraine.
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The suspected Munich attack adds to growing evidence that Russia’s war against Ukraine is being accompanied by covert operations targeting the defense industry and critical infrastructure of countries helping Kyiv.
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