Another parcel being transported by DHL Express, has exploded in Minworth near Birmingham, UK. No one was injured by the fire. The incident, which occurred on 22JUL24, but only became known on 16OCT24, is one of several recent attacks on the integrator. Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Russian saboteurs had dispatched the shipment.
It is still unclear who sent the parcel and where it was handed over to DHL. But fact is that the shipment had arrived at DHL’s Minworth warehouse by air, though it is not known where it was destined for. The consequences would have been grave had it blown up while airborne.
The incident at DHL’s Birmingham facility, was only disclosed following joint inquiries by the German broadcasters, NDR and WDR, and their UK partner, The Guardian, prompting questions as to why the local authorities had not revealed it earlier. An official answer is still pending.
Almost at the same time as the attempted attack in Birmingham, a DHL parcel caught fire at the package delivery company’s Leipzig hub.
Terrorism experts from both countries are now comparing whether there are similarities between the two attacks, and what the consequences are for the existing control and security system.
Escalating hybrid war
All affected parcels detected so far contained electrical items and vials filled with liquids. The high shipping costs of the parcels were regularly ‘economically disproportionate to the value of the goods’, emphasizes the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution, in a warning to the industry. In security circles, it is an open secret that Russian sabotage and espionage activities in Germany and across Western Europe, have increased significantly in recent weeks and months, as seen by the rapidly growing number of drones spotted across critical and sensitive infrastructures such as airports, military installations or telecommunication facilities.
In a hearing conducted by the Deutsche Bundestag (parliament), Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service, did not accuse the Putin regime directly of fighting a hybrid war against western states. However, he did accuse the Kremlin’s spy agencies of behaving increasingly aggressively, severely risking or harming people’s life through their attacks and sabotage operations.
Creating chaos
Ken McCallum, the head of Britain’s MI5 delivered similar arguments. Just days ago, he warned that Russia’s GRU military intelligence appeared to be on “a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets: we’ve seen arson, sabotage and more.”
Confronted with these and similar allegations, the Putin regime repeatedly denied any sabotage activities, but blamed accusers of spreading conspiracy theories. However, the frequency of the actions and statements by some arrestees speak against this. A warehouse in east London, run by a company with close business links to Ukraine, caught fire in a suspected arson attack in MAR24. Seven men have been charged with involvement in the incident, which has been linked to a Russian plot, reports The Guardian. A shopping center in Warsaw, Poland, was destroyed by a fire in MAY24. Shortly after, Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, indicated that the blaze was caused by operatives from Russia’s intelligence services.
Assassination orders
However, the most serious plot that has since come to light, was an attempt to assassinate Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German arms producer, Rheinmetall (Armored Combat Carrier Lynx XM30, Battle Tank Challenger 3, Counter Drones, among other military products). In JUL24, it was reported that U.S. intelligence services had foiled Russian plans to murder him.
To carry out such espionage or killing orders, the Russian secret service hires individuals across Europe belonging to shadow armies consisting of right wingers or radicals from the extreme left.
Proxy war
Consequently, military experts are already talking about a Russia-NATO proxy war. In case a perpetrator is identified, the Putin regime can claim to have nothing to do with the occurrence.
In NATO leadership circles, it is assumed that Moscow is pursuing various goals with the series of attacks: The aim is to send a signal to the West, that the delivery to Ukraine of long-range weapons capable of hitting military installations in the Russian hinterland, will further increase the escalation spiral. The fear potential in the EU that the conflict will be scaled up, is to be kept high, as generating fear is a key component of Russia’s psychological warfare. And thirdly, actions such as those against DHL, are intended to increase the pressure on Western governments to reduce their military and financial support for Ukraine in order to accept a ceasefire or even peace agreement on Russian terms.
