A Ukrainian may have transported weapons for a Russian sabotage network in Europe - Spiegel
A 24-year-old citizen of Ukraine, who is linked to a secret weapons cache on the outskirts of Berlin, is suspected of working for an extensive sabotage network that may have operated in the interests of Russian special services in several European countries.
This is reported by Spiegel, citing German and international security sources.
The man in question is Vadym S., who recently lived in Poland and has been in custody in Romania since October 2025. According to investigators, he may have served as a courier who moved weapons and other items between hiding places used by members of the sabotage network.
How the intelligence services found the cache near Berlin
According to Spiegel, Polish law enforcement became interested in Vadym S. during an investigation into the possible sending of parcels with incendiary devices to Ukraine.
Through surveillance of his smartphone, the services established that on October 1, 2025, the man traveled by bus from Poland to Berlin. Upon arrival, he allegedly picked up two small packages from a hiding place in the eastern part of the city.
Then, according to the investigation, he delivered them to another cache in a wooded area on the outskirts of Berlin near Lake Müggelsee. Investigators claim the man received a map with precise instructions to find the hiding spot.
After completing the task, he allegedly photographed the cache, transmitted its geographic coordinates to contacts, and returned to Poland by bus just a few hours later.
It was the coordinates intercepted by the Polish side that allowed German services to locate the cache. It contained two pistols, including a copy of a Makarov pistol, and ammunition.
German law enforcement set up covert surveillance of the cache and secretly rendered the weapons unusable. However, for several weeks no one came to retrieve them.
The trail leads to sabotage against Nova Post
The reason may have been the detention of Vadym S. in Romania in mid-October 2025. There he and another Ukrainian citizen are suspected of preparing sabotage against a branch of the Ukrainian postal operator Nova Post in Bucharest.
According to the case materials, parcels brought to the branch contained car accessories, headphones, and tubes disguised as grease. Tests, according to Spiegel, showed that incendiary devices were hidden inside the headphones, and the tubes contained nitromethane, a highly flammable substance, instead of grease.
Romanian intelligence stated that the suspects could belong to an "extensive network of saboteurs" operating in various European countries and controlled by Russian special services.
The Ukrainian operator Nova Post has repeatedly appeared in investigations of possible Russian sabotage in Europe. In particular, law enforcement has investigated similar episodes involving parcels with incendiary devices.
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate the weapons cache near Berlin. The case is being treated as part of proceedings on suspicion of acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service and preparing a serious crime against state security.
Source: Der Spiegel
