NATO's headquarters in Brussels, Oct. 28, 2024.Virginia Mayo/The Associated Press
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday it had summoned the deputy head of Canada’s embassy in Moscow to protest over what it called “false accusations” that Russia was behind a sabotage campaign against NATO countries.
Western security officials have said that parcels that exploded at logistics depots in Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States.
Russia has rejected the accusations.
Polish prosecutors said on Friday that Russian intelligence services were likely behind the parcels that exploded across Europe, pointing the finger at Moscow in a case officials say could have caused an air disaster.
Western officials have previously said that Russia has tried to destabilize allies of Ukraine with acts of sabotage. The explosions in courier depots in Britain, Germany and Poland in July had the potential to mark a serious escalation by causing an explosion on an aircraft.
Security officials have said that the parcels were part of a plot that ultimately aimed to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States and Canada.
“The evidence collected in the case indicates a high probability that the discussed acts of sabotage … were inspired by Russian special services,” Polish Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak said in an e-mailed statement.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw said the prosecutor’s allegations were “unfounded and unjustified” in an e-mailed response to Reuters’ questions.
Nowak said Polish authorities are searching for two Russians and have detained four Ukrainian citizens as part of the investigation.
Polish prosecutors said in October they had detained four people and were searching for two others in relation to the packages, but did not reveal the nationalities of those accused of involvement.
In October, prosecutors said they were investigating the role of “foreign intelligence,” without explicitly naming Russia.
“Intensive activities are being carried out to identify the remaining individuals involved in the above international group,” Nowak said in the statement sent on Friday.
“These actions are undertaken in co-operation with law enforcement agencies of other European Union countries.”
He said that the exploding parcels had been sent from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.