Lithuanian authorities have accused Russian military intelligence of coordinating attempts to deliberately set fire to a factory that produces and supplies radio wave scanners to the Ukrainian army, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Six citizens of Spain, Colombia, Cuba, Russia and Belarus were arrested and charged in connection with the 2024 attacks. If convicted, each of them could face up to 15 years in prison. "The crimes were well-coordinated, and the orders were given by a group of people living in Russia and connected to Russian military intelligence," said Saulius Briginas, deputy head of Lithuania's criminal police.
There has been no official reaction from Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that it has stepped up sabotage and other attacks in the region since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Briginas, the group that coordinated the attacks was made up of Colombian and Cuban citizens living in Russia. It has also attempted similar arson attacks in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. The targets of the attacks included oil infrastructure in Romania, construction materials warehouses in Poland, as well as buses, a post office and a cinema in the Czech Republic.
Lithuania has issued international arrest warrants for three more suspects and is trying to extradite a fourth person detained in Colombia, Briginas added.
All six arrested have ties to Russia - they studied there, traveled there or had contacts with people in the country, he said. They received between 5,000 and 10,000 euros for their actions, with the perpetrators' main motive being financial.
Last year, Lithuania also accused Russia of attempting to set fire to an IKEA store. In December, Polish prosecutors filed charges in absentia against a Russian citizen suspected of leading a network of saboteurs and spies in an alleged campaign to undermine Warsaw's firm support for Ukraine.
Moscow has previously rejected such accusations, saying the West is fomenting anti-Russian sentiment.