Russian citizens linked to Russian military intelligence are behind a series of parcel explosions in DHL logistics centers across Europe, including in Poland — shocking findings revealed by Reuters, citing Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office and police. One of the booby-trapped parcels exploded on Polish territory. This is yet another proof of Russia’s aggressive actions, showing no hesitation in resorting to terrorist methods to destabilize Western countries.
According to the findings of an international investigation, on July 19, 2024, Lithuanian citizen Aleksander Shuranov, born in 1973, acting within an organized group, sent four dangerous parcels from Vilnius. The packages, addressed to recipients in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland, were shipped via courier companies DHL and DPD. Inside were “handmade explosive devices with adjustable blast power.”
Coordinated Terrorist Operation
The first bomb exploded on July 20, 2024, at the airport in Leipzig, Germany, just before being loaded onto a cargo plane. A day later, on July 21, an explosion occurred in the trailer of a DPD truck transporting a parcel through Poland. The next detonation took place on July 22 at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, United Kingdom. A fourth device, also transported through Poland, fortunately failed to detonate due to a technical malfunction.
Lithuanian investigators have no doubt that the entire operation was carefully planned and coordinated by individuals tied to Russian military intelligence (GRU). The Russians’ objective was to cause explosions aboard cargo aircraft, potentially resulting in a disaster of unimaginable scale. Alongside the explosives, the parcels contained seemingly innocent items — such as massage pillows, cosmetics, or erotic gadgets — meant to conceal the true contents.
International Spy Network
In the course of the investigation, a total of 15 individuals — citizens of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine — were charged. Recruitment took place partly through the Telegram messenger, and payments were made in cryptocurrency to obscure the trail.
Moreover, the investigation showed that the same group was responsible for an attempted arson at an IKEA store in Vilnius in May 2024. Lithuanian prosecutors identified two main coordinators of the operation: Ukrainian citizen Daniil Gromov, who used Russian documents under the name Yaroslav Mikhailov, and Tomas Dovgan Stabacinskas, a dual Lithuanian-Russian national. International arrest warrants were issued for them, as well as for Russian citizen Andrey Baburov.
Kremlin’s Hybrid Warfare
The parcel-bomb incidents are not isolated cases, but rather part of a broader sabotage campaign conducted by the Kremlin. European governments and intelligence agencies have long warned that Moscow is likely behind a series of arsons and sabotage acts aimed at destabilizing Ukraine’s allies. These activities, described as hybrid warfare, are designed to sow chaos, fear, and undermine trust in state institutions.
The disclosure by Lithuanian authorities — in cooperation with Poland, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Canada — of direct links between the perpetrators and Russian military intelligence serves as hard evidence of the Russian Federation’s hostile intent. This is no longer just disinformation or hacking attacks, but physical acts of terror on the territory of NATO member states.