German investigators suspect Russian intelligence of organising an arson attack near the offices of defence companies Rohde & Schwarz and Helsing in Munich.
This is reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing sources in Germany’s security agencies.
The incident occurred on 3 September. According to the investigation, several incendiary devices were thrown from a car driving past a construction site near the companies’ headquarters. This caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished. No one was injured and the material damage was minor.
At the scene, law enforcement officers also found another incendiary device that failed to go off.
Soon after the incident, police detained two Bulgarian nationals at a petrol station — a 28-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man. German investigators believe they may have been the perpetrators, recruited by Russian special services to carry out acts of sabotage in return for payment.
According to FAZ, German law enforcement links the arson attack to the GRU. Russia’s military intelligence is suspected of preparing an attack on Leipzig Airport. If these versions are confirmed, it would mean two suspected operations by Russian special services in Germany within a single month.
Rohde & Schwarz operates, among other areas, in secure communications and defence technologies. Helsing specialises in artificial intelligence systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, and produces drones, including for Ukraine.
German law enforcement reports an increase in the number of suspicious cases of sabotage and espionage activity.
According to Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, from January to the end of August 2026 more than 165 cases linked to suspected sabotage and espionage were recorded in the country.
- In August, a court in Stuttgart sentenced a Ukrainian citizen for preparing arson attacks that he was supposed to carry out on behalf of the Russian side.