In Germany, arson near drone manufacturer linked to Russian intelligence

German investigators believe that Russian military intelligence may have been behind the arson near defense sector facilities in Munich in early September. One of the likely targets of the attack is Helsing, a company that produces combat drones and supplies them to Ukraine.

This was reported by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung citing German investigators' data.

The incident occurred on the night of September 3 in Munich's Berg am Laim district. According to police, several incendiary devices were thrown from a car onto a construction site in the immediate vicinity of the headquarters of technology companies Helsing and Rohde & Schwarz.

One of the devices caused a fire that was quickly extinguished. Another unexploded incendiary munition was defused by specialists. There was no significant damage or injuries.

Shortly after the attack, police arrested a 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, both Bulgarian citizens. The court ordered them detained on suspicion of attempted arson and property damage.

Already in early September, German security services had serious indications that the attack could have been part of a Russian hybrid operation. Investigators are checking the theory that the direct perpetrators may have been used as so-called low-level or "disposable" agents—people hired by intermediaries for individual intelligence or sabotage tasks.

However, it has not yet been officially established which company was the primary target. Helsing is considered one of the most likely options: the company specializes in defense technologies and artificial intelligence, produces strike drones, and is a supplier of weapons to Ukraine. Nearby is also Rohde & Schwarz, which manufactures, among other things, military and secure communications equipment.

The Munich attack is being examined in the context of other investigations into suspected Russian sabotage in Germany. In particular, Berlin has already officially blamed Russia for the attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport using explosive drones. In the subsequent investigation, data emerged about contacts between one of the suspects and a colonel of the Russian military intelligence directorate (GRU), who Western intelligence agencies link to the organization of sabotage operations in Europe.

German security services believe that Russian structures are increasingly using recruited intermediaries instead of career agents, making it difficult to establish a direct connection between perpetrators and masterminds. Russian authorities deny involvement in such sabotage in Germany.