Archive · 18 Aug 2026
German court convicts Ukrainian man over Russia-linked parcel bomb plot
A judge in Germany made a decision about some packages that were sent to find places where bad things could happen.
A 30-year-old man from Ukraine helped send the packages.
The packages had small devices called GPS trackers and some car parts inside.
They were sent from Germany to Ukraine using a delivery service.
The man did this because someone he knew from a city called Mariupol asked him to.
The court believes a secret group connected to the Russian government was behind the plan.
The judge decided the man helped with a plan to cause trouble, so he must go to prison for one year and three months.
Two other people who were involved were found not guilty because there was not enough proof.
Some countries think Russia is doing sneaky things to hurt them, but Russia says that is not true.
The man and the prosecutors can ask for another trial if they want.
Germany's Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart convicted a 30-year-old Ukrainian man of acting as an agent for sabotage and sentenced him to one year and three months in prison.
Two other Ukrainian defendants were acquitted due to a lack of evidence that they knowingly participated in the attack plot.
The court said the man organized shipments of GPS trackers from Germany to Ukraine at the behest of an acquaintance from Russian-occupied Mariupol.
Two parcels containing GPS trackers and spare auto parts, sent via a Ukrainian parcel service, were designed to scope out potential sabotage targets for an unnamed Russian state entity.
European governments accuse Moscow of a sustained sabotage campaign as part of a 'hybrid war', while Russia calls the allegations groundless and denies involvement.
- Who
- A 30-year-old Ukrainian man convicted by the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart, along with two acquitted co-defendants; the operation was allegedly initiated by an unnamed Russian state entity.
- What
- The man was convicted of acting as an agent for the purposes of sabotage in a parcel plot prosecutors linked to Russian intelligence, and was sentenced to one year and three months in prison.
- When
- The ruling was handed down on Tuesday, August 18, according to a court statement reported by Reuters.
- Where
- Stuttgart, Germany; the parcels in question were shipped from Germany to Ukraine via a Ukrainian parcel service.
- Why
- Prosecutors said the plot was designed to cause damage and undermine public confidence in security, and the court said the shipments were meant to scout potential sabotage targets.
Governments: Moscow behind hybrid war
Russia: Allegations are groundless
Sabotage campaign allegations
Governments: Moscow behind hybrid war
European governments accuse Moscow of a sustained campaign of sabotage attacks as part of a 'hybrid war' targeting countries that supported Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russia: Allegations are groundless
Russia repeatedly calls such allegations groundless and has always denied involvement in any such operation, including the exploding parcels shipped from Lithuania in 2024 and detonated in Germany, Poland and Britain.
Leipzig/Halle drone incident
Governments: Moscow behind hybrid war
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the drone found at Leipzig/Halle Airport a hybrid attack, and German politicians and media have suggested Russia could be responsible.
Russia: Allegations are groundless
Russia dismisses suggestions by German politicians and media that it could be responsible for the drone.
- Court
- Higher Regional Court, Stuttgart, Germany
- Verdict
- Guilty of acting as an agent for the purposes of sabotage
- Sentence
- One year and three months in prison
- Defendants
- One convicted, two acquitted
- Plot details
- Two parcels with GPS trackers and spare auto parts sent from Germany to Ukraine via a Ukrainian parcel service
- Alleged organizer
- Unnamed Russian state entity
- Appeal
- Both the convicted defendant and prosecutors have the right to appeal
- Related incident
- Explosive-laden drone found at Leipzig/Halle Airport earlier this month