Germany indicts Ukrainian over parcel bomb allegations tied to Russia

BERLIN, Feb 9 - Germany has indicted a Ukrainian national in connection with allegations of a plot linked to Russian intelligence to detonate parcel packages in Europe, German prosecutors said in a statement on Monday.

The Russian embassy in Berlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment but Moscow has previously denied involvement.

The suspect, identified only as Yevhen B. under German privacy law, had been arrested in Switzerland on May 13 of last year and extradited to Germany in December.

In March 2025, Yevhen B. and two other suspects identified as Daniil B. and Vladyslav T., sent two packages with GPS trackers from the western German city of Cologne to Ukraine on the orders of Russian intelligence intermediaries in Mariupol, prosecutors say.

The purpose was to investigate logistics routes in order to later send packages with incendiary devices that would ignite in Germany or elsewhere en route to parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia, causing as much damage as possible, they say.

European governments have accused Russia of a sustained campaign of sabotage attacks as relations plunged after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has repeatedly called such allegations groundless. REUTERS