German court convicts Ukrainian man over parcel bomb plot tied to Russia

STUTTGART, Germany, Aug 18 (Reuters) - A German court convicted a Ukrainian man on Tuesday over what prosecutors described as a plot linked to Russian intelligence to detonate parcels in Europe designed to cause damage and undermine public confidence in security.

Three Ukrainians were involved in sending two packages with GPS trackers and spare auto parts from Germany to Ukraine using a Ukrainian parcel service in an operation initiated by an unnamed Russian state entity, the Higher Regional Court

in the southwestern city of Stuttgart said in a statement.

For the Russian organisers of the plot, these shipments were designed to scope out potential opportunities for future acts of sabotage, the court said.

A 30-year-old was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for acting as an agent for the purposes of sabotage. The two other defendants were acquitted due to a lack of evidence that they were knowingly involved in a plot to commit such attacks.

The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

European governments have accused 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 has repeatedly called such allegations groundless.

The 30-year-old "intentionally participated in scouting potential sabotage targets for a Russian state entity", the court said.

"At the behest of an acquaintance from Russian-occupied Mariupol, he organised the shipment of GPS trackers that transmitted location data during transit from Germany to Ukraine."

Both the convicted defendant and the prosecutors have the right to appeal against the ruling.

Germany and other European countries have repeatedly pointed the finger at Moscow in other instances.

In a previous case, European security officials suspect Russia was behind a series of exploding parcels that were shipped from Lithuania in 2024 and detonated in Germany, Poland and Britain. Moscow has ​always denied allegations that it was involved in any such operation.

Earlier this month, in Germany, officials found a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called it a hybrid attack but did not assign blame. Russia has dismissed suggestions by German politicians and media that it could be responsible.

(Reporting by Tilman Blasshofer and Timm Reichert; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)