Suspected Russian Airplane Sabotage Plot Sparks Call For NATO Action

An advisor to Lithuania’s president is demanding NATO action after claims emerged that the country was the nexus of a Russian sabotage plot to attack U.S. and Canada-bound aircraft by shipping camouflaged incendiary devices on them. This marks the latest in a series of allegations regarding Russian sabotage plots in Europe.

“The Presidency confirms that Russian military intelligence is behind the transport of incendiary packages,” Lithuanian presidential adviser Kęstutis Budrys told the Lithuanian Ziniu radio station on Tuesday. “We are telling our allies that it’s not random, it’s part of military operations. This requires a NATO response.”

Budrys was referring to a recently divulged Russian plot that originated in Lithuania over the summer, according to Reuters. The scheme, in which German officials say a plane crash was narrowly avoided, is believed to be part of an effort to bring the war home to Ukraine’s Western allies.

“Explosive parcels…caused fires in courier depots in Britain, Germany and Poland in July,” the Polish Gazeta Wyborcza daily newspaper reported last month, Reuters noted on Tuesday. Officials say disaster was narrowly avoided when one of the packages ignited in a courier depot in Germany before it could be placed on a plane.

Western security officials say “they believe that two incendiary devices, shipped via DHL, were part of a covert Russian operation that ultimately aimed to start fires aboard cargo or passenger aircraft flying to the U.S. and Canada, as Moscows steps up a sabotage campaign against Washington and its allies,” according to The Wall Street Journal, which broke the story Monday.

European security officials “have linked suspected Russian operatives to a plot to smuggle incendiary devices onto a cargo plane in Germany, in what investigators believe may have been a trial run for future attacks targeting North America-bound aircraft,” The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

An international probe “that began after one of the devices caught fire prematurely in July determined that the plotters also sent packages without the flammable contents to U.S. and Canadian addresses, in an apparent test to see if the parcels could be successfully delivered,” the publication reported, citing European security officials.

Polish authorities say “four people were charged in connection with camouflaged explosives that ‘detonated during land and air transport’ in the U.K. in July, according to ABC News, citing a statement from the country’s prosecutor’s office.

“The group’s activities consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport,” the Polish prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “The group’s goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada.”

Western officials “believe the fires originated in electric massage machines containing a ‘magnesium-based” substance,’”  the BBC reported.

As the Post proffered, this scheme is being seen “as a provocative and particularly dangerous escalation in an alleged sabotage campaign directed by Moscow against NATO countries helping Ukraine defend itself against a Russian military invasion.”

Who ordered it remains unclear. Three European security officials told the newspaper that it is unknown whether this was directed by the top of the Kremlin or by lower-level intelligence officials.

Overall, there many questions that still need to be answered about this bizarre plot and its perpetrators. Top among them is why would Russia take such a risk? What is the ultimate objective? How does potentially killing large numbers of people in the air or on the ground advance Moscow’s ambitions while still avoiding a direct conflict? Above all else, what is the evidence that this actually came from the Russian government? Having parcels exploding on civilian aircraft carrying cargo could have major repercussions during a time of war, where those logistical capabilities would be critical and disruptions would have major battlefield impacts, but such timing doesn’t seem to fit with the operations observed.

Whatever the case may be, government and civilian officials are paying attention.

“We are aware of two recent incidents involving shipments in our network,” a DHL official said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities to protect our people, our network and our customers’ shipments.”

“The U.S. continues to be vigilant against threats to the aviation and air cargo systems,” a U.S. official told The War Zone, citing the 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment. “We work closely with industry to take steps to protect against any potential threats whenever they emerge. At this time, there is no current active threat targeting U.S.-bound flights.”

“We continually adjust our security posture as appropriate and promptly share any and all relevant information with our industry partners, to include requirements and recommendations that help them reduce risk,” a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official said in a statement.  “Over the past several months, as part of a multi-layered security approach, TSA worked with industry partners to put additional security measures for U.S. aircraft operators and foreign air carriers regarding certain cargo shipments bound for the United States, in line with the 2021 TSA Air Cargo Security Roadmap. We greatly appreciate the cooperation and collaboration with industry as together we work to ensure the safety and security of air cargo.”

Canadian officials say they are aware of the plot and are concerned about its implications.

“The Government of Canada is aware of and deeply concerned with Russia’s intensifying campaign, from cyber incidents and disinformation operations to sabotage activities,” Zarah Malik, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada said in a statement to The War Zone. “Canada has expressed this concern directly to Russian officials and unequivocally stated that any threat to the safety and security of Canadians is unacceptable.”

“While there is no imminent threat to Canadians at this time, Canadian national security and law enforcement agencies are working in close cooperation with our allies on this serious matter to keep Canadians safe,” Malid added. “The Government of Canada will continue to monitor the situation very closely and will take whatever action is necessary to protect Canadians.”

Russia denies being behind acts of sabotage, according to the BBC. “But it is suspected to have been behind other attacks on warehouses and railway networks in EU member states this year, including in Sweden and in the Czech Republic,” the network noted.

There have been other suspicious incidents of sabotage in Europe.

As we reported in August, Norway revealed that one of its most strategic air bases was the target of sabotage. That announcement came as other European NATO air bases — namely in Germany — reported incidents – one of which remains unexplained.

There were also reports about troubling drone activity over critical infrastructure. These incidents came amid increasing warnings about nefarious Russian activity on the continent, part of an apparent wave of ‘hybrid warfare’ as the conflict in Ukraine further stokes East-West tensions.

While there is no evidence at the moment that Russia is behind the incidents in Norway and Germany, this all came as NATO has increasingly warned of the risk of an expanding campaign of sabotage, including cyberattacks, across Europe, in a new wave of hybrid warfare masterminded by Russia.

In the last few months, there has been a spike in reported incidents of this kind, suspected to be connected to Russia, if not orchestrated directly by Moscow. As well as Germany and Norway, these incidents have been reported in other NATO countries including the Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

In July, intelligence officials expressed concern about possible sabotage attacks by Russian-backed actors so acute it saw U.S. military bases across Europe placed on a heightened state of alert, “for the first time in a decade,” according to CNN.

Beyond the question of what Russia’s goals would have been for such a flagrantly escalatory operation is if NATO will respond to this provocation and how. This clearly depends on what evidence actually exists that the Russian government was involved and to what degree. Considering its own sensitivities to escalation, it is possible that the alliance could take a wait-and-see approach.

Though this plot seems to have been disrupted before anyone was hurt, such actions in the future could prove devastating and they could be used to cripple logistics at a time when they are needed most.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com