Recent enigmatic incidents at U.S. and U.K. defense facilities producing weapons and equipment for Ukrainian forces in the conflict in Ukraine have sparked social media speculation regarding the possibility of Russian sabotage.
It occurs more than two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West. The United States and members of the NATO military alliance have been consistently accused by Russian officials of plotting a new world war in tandem. Many, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have cautioned that Moscow may be preparing for a more extensive conflict with NATO.By email, Newsweek has requested comment from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Two Russian nationals were arrested by German police in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth on Wednesday. They were allegedly making preparations to detonate bombs at military and industrial installations within the country.
Dieter S, 39, and Alexander J, 37, both German-Russian nationals, allegedly communicated with the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) and devised a scheme to sabotage the delivery of military aid to Ukraine, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.
“Potential explosive attacks that were designed to target and undermine our military assistance to Ukraine have been averted by our security authorities.” “The alleged spy activity on behalf of Putin’s criminal regime is especially grave,” stated German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser at a press briefing in Berlin.
“We will continue to provide massive support for Ukraine and will not allow ourselves to be intimidated,” according to her.
The Russian Embassy in Berlin described the allegations as a “egregious provocation,” according to the Russian state-run news agency Tass.
The arrests have reignited social media speculation regarding two distinct incidents that occurred this month at armaments suppliers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
On April 15, a fire broke out at a military facility located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Concurrently, on April 17, a detonation transpired at a manufacturing facility owned by BAE Systems, the largest defense contractor in the United Kingdom, situated in Monmouthshire, South Wales. Throughout the conflict, both facilities had manufactured supplies for the Ukrainian military.
Inquiries have been initiated into both occurrences.
David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Canadian-American political commentator, commented on X (formerly Twitter) in response to the two arrests in Germany this week: “Brings attention to the fires that broke out at artillery ammunition factories in the United States and the United Kingdom.”
The incidents were brought to light by Sergej Sumlenny, the originator of the European Resilience Initiative Center, a German think tank.
“The only 155-mm shells plant in the United Kingdom reports a blast tonight (with no significant damage to the facility).” Ablaze at a U.S. ammunition facility in Scranton, which manufactures projectiles for Ukraine, occurred two days ago. “Two Russian saboteurs were apprehended today in Germany,” he wrote on X.
Additional X users expressed skepticism regarding the incidents’ timing.
“One day following a conflagration at an American artillery manufacturing facility. It remains possible that this is merely a coincidence, but it is certainly peculiar. “I hope that both nations will examine this closely,” one user wrote.
“Didn’t this occur in the United States of America just a few days ago? Another individual stated, “I do not believe in coincidences; something is amiss.”
“At the ammunition manufacturing facility of the British firm BAE Systems in Wales, a detonation took place…An X user further stated, “This is the second western ammunition plant in the last two days where the Russians are conducting sabotage operations in the west.”
BAE Systems reportedly stated that safety protocols were “immediately implemented” following the detonation in Wales on Wednesday. The BBC reports that no injuries were reported and that production continued without interruption. It stated that the cause was being investigated.
On Monday, the Scranton Army ammunition facility issued the following statement regarding the incident on Facebook: “Today, around 3:20 p.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant to assist in the containment of a fire at the heat treatment building. All personnel are present and the fire has been extinguished at this time; no injuries have been reported. At this time, the cause of the fire remains undetermined. At present, an evaluation of the damage is underway in order to ascertain potential repercussions on production or infrastructure.
Since Putin initiated his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been the target of deluges of drone attacks, the majority of which have targeted ammunition depots and warehouses. Although Moscow generally refrains from providing statements regarding the origins of industrial fires or attacks on its military installations, Ukrainian authorities have attempted to attribute such incidents to partisans or “saboteurs” from Ukraine.
