Incidents in Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the UK have led to suspicions that Moscow is trying to sabotage European countries for backing Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
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00:00Is Russia behind recent arson attacks in Europe?
00:08British counter-terrorism police are looking into whether Russian spies planted a device
00:13on a UK-bound plane which later caught fire at a warehouse in Birmingham in July.
00:18The Guardian first reported the news, saying that the parcel is believed to have arrived
00:22at the DHL warehouse by air. It's not known where it was heading. It follows similar
00:27incidents in other European countries in recent months. Another suspicious package
00:31due for airmail delivery went up in flames at a different DHL warehouse in Leipzig also in July.
00:38Investigators are looking to see if there are links between the two incidents,
00:41adding that the parcels could have downed the planes had they caught fire mid-flight.
00:46Russia is the prime suspect.
00:48The UK's leading role in supporting Ukraine means we loom large in the fevered imagination
00:52of Putin's regime. And we should expect to see continued acts of aggression here at home.
00:58The GRU in particular is on a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets.
01:04We've seen arson, sabotage and more. Dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness.
01:10Earlier this year, Poland arrested nine individuals for allegedly acting on behalf
01:14of Russia to commit physical assault and arson in Wroclaw. Another arson attack at
01:19an IKEA warehouse in Lithuania has also been linked to Kremlin operations,
01:24while Latvia has warned of potential Russian activity there too. The motive for the attacks
01:29appears to be revenge for Europe's strong support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
01:33In yet more incidents this year, a London warehouse belonging to a company linked to
01:38Ukraine caught fire, as did a shopping centre in Warsaw. There was even an alleged Russian
01:43plot to assassinate Armin Papirga, CEO of German arms maker Rheinmetall.
01:48It's believed that Russia employs individuals with European nationality
01:52and with links to organised crime to keep its movements discreet.