Germany is investigating preparations for sabotage against railway and energy infrastructure, in which two citizens of Belarus are suspected. According to investigators, the men were acting in Russia's interests and may have also been involved in an arson attack on an industrial facility near a defense enterprise in Romania.
Der Spiegel reported this on October 28 citing sources in German security structures. The dts news agency provides additional details.
According to journalists, the suspects, aged 39 and 50, intended to set a fire near a railway line and a power transmission line in the Nuremberg area in the federal state of Bavaria.
Both men were detained in early October. They have been in custody since then. The investigation is being conducted by the Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office, in particular the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism (ZET).
The suspects are charged with activities in the interests of a foreign intelligence service aimed at organizing sabotage, as well as conspiracy to commit arson.
According to Der Spiegel, German investigators are checking a possible connection between the detainees and a Russian intelligence and sabotage network that operated in several European countries.
The men are also part of an investigation by Romanian law enforcement. They are suspected of involvement in a fire that occurred on September 14 at an industrial site in the city of Brasov, next to the CARFIL SA arms factory, which is part of the state-owned defense conglomerate ROMARM.
The fire damaged premises of several commercial enterprises. Romanian authorities did not report damage directly to the arms factory's production facilities.
On October 26, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) announced the dismantling of a network of saboteurs whose activities, according to the agency, were coordinated from Russia.
The investigation identified three alleged members of the group — two citizens of Belarus and one citizen of Ukraine, living in EU countries. A Romanian court issued European arrest warrants for them, after which the country's authorities began extradition proceedings.
As Kurs.com.ua previously reported, the third suspect, a 25-year-old Ukrainian, was detained in Warsaw. According to Polish journalists, he was assigned a role in gathering information about objects that could become targets for sabotage.
Romanian intelligence claims that the alleged network's activities were not limited to one country. Russian coordinators, according to SRI, identified potential targets among state and private arms manufacturers, as well as other military and industrial facilities.
During 2026, Romanian intelligence services also identified other sabotage attempts, including against military infrastructure and facilities used for training Ukrainian military personnel.
German law enforcement now has to establish the circumstances of the preparations for the alleged arson attacks in Bavaria, as well as check the detainees' connections with the organizers of sabotage outside Germany.
No final decision has been made on the suspects' guilt. Russian authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of organizing sabotage operations on the territory of European states.
