MILITARY TRUCKS BURNT IN GERMANY: ARE THEY INTENDED FOR UKRAINE?
The German Ministry of Defense has launched an official investigation into a fire that destroyed several military trucks at a MAN repair base in the city of Erfurt. The incident occurred on the night of June 22, and there are reasons to believe that it may be the result of sabotage or other illegal actions aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country's military sphere. At the same time, officials assure that the burned military equipment was not intended for transfer to Ukraine, but pro-Russian sources are spreading information about the alleged planned supply of such equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the German tabloid BILD, four trucks were completely burned down during the night of the fire, and two more were damaged so seriously that they had to be considered lost. The investigation was opened under an article on suspicion of sabotage, which indicates that law enforcement officers believe in a possible deliberate arson. A few days before the fire, the first publications appeared on pro-Russian Telegram channels: they posted photos of trucks “before” and “after” the fire, as well as a video of the moment of the arson, the author of which is unknown. The captions claim that the equipment was intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the arson was allegedly carried out by people who sought to prevent its transfer. The investigation is being conducted by the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office and the Erfurt City Prosecutor’s Office. They add that experts are checking the authenticity of the published video materials and do not exclude the possibility of the involvement of foreign intelligence services, in particular Russia. At the same time, the Thuringia Ministry of the Interior also suggests that radical leftist groups may be involved in the arson. Similar cases of destruction of military equipment have already occurred before: earlier these were attacks in Berlin and Soltau, for which the organization "Agenda2029", associated with the left-wing radical movement, took responsibility. No less alarming are previous media reports about incidents that occurred in military barracks in Germany. In particular, in the Cologne area, law enforcement officers and counterintelligence of the Bundeswehr reported a possible sabotage with poisoning of drinking water in the barracks. The territory of the military base was completely sealed and opened for investigative work. Financial and analytical sources, in particular the Financial Times, indicate that such sabotage is purposefully used by the Russian military intelligence GRU to test the resolve of Europe and the efforts of Ukraine's allies. The purpose of such actions is to sow discord, destabilize military supplies to Ukraine and complicate cooperation between Western countries in supporting Ukrainian defense. These operations are accompanied by an active information campaign and sabotage measures, which manifest themselves not only in physical arsons or damage to equipment, but also in cyberattacks and attempts at disinformation. The military and intelligence services of the West are working around the clock to prevent such incidents, because their scale and purposefulness indicate the systemic nature of Russia's hybrid war aimed at weakening Ukraine's rear and weakening military support from abroad. This once again emphasizes the importance of increasing the level of security of military facilities and a whole range of measures aimed at countering new forms and forms of application of sabotage technologies.