The trial of three Ukrainian citizens accused of planning bomb attacks sent in packages on behalf of the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, began in a German court today, DPA reported, BTA reported.
The three men, aged 22, 25 and 30, were arrested in May at various locations in Germany and Switzerland. They are accused of sending shipments of car parts and GPS tracking devices from Cologne to Ukraine to test possible routes for cargo before the planned attacks.
Federal prosecutors said the plan was to mail packages containing explosive devices that would "detonate in Germany or elsewhere on their way to parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia" to cause "the greatest possible damage, with the aim of undermining the population's sense of security."
Authorities believe the order to test potential attack routes came from Russian military intelligence via intermediaries in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to charges filed in a Stuttgart court.
Two of the men were arrested in Germany, while the third was arrested in Switzerland and extradited to Germany in December, where all three are being held.
The three defendants remained silent at the start of the trial, but the lawyer for the 25-year-old man believed to have sent the packages from Cologne said there was no evidence his client was aware of any sabotage plans. Lawyers for the other two defendants did not comment on the charges on the first day of the trial.
The court has scheduled more than 30 hearings in the case until the end of September. The trial is being held under tight security.