A German court is due to deliver its verdict on Tuesday in the trial of three Ukrainians accused of plotting attacks on freight transport in Germany on behalf of Russia.
Prosecutors accuse the men, aged 22, 25 and 30, of spying and conspiracy to carry out arson attacks on behalf of a Russian intelligence service.
The three were arrested in May last year in Cologne and Konstanz in Germany and in the Swiss canton of Thurgau. They are accused of taking part in a sabotage plot targeting the transport network of a parcel delivery company.
Prosecutors told the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court that, on the orders of a Russian intelligence service, the men sent two packages containing GPS trackers to Ukraine via a Ukrainian postal service in March 2025 to gather information about the routes and transport procedures used by the parcel company.
According to prosecutors, the next step was for packages to be despatched containing incendiary devices that would ignite during transport. Their plans were uncovered while they were still preparing these attacks.
The prosecution has called for sentences ranging from two years and nine months to four years and three months, while the defence has argued for acquittal for all three.
The case recalls an incident in 2024, when an air-freight package caught fire at a DHL logistics centre in Leipzig. Security officials believe the package was planted there on behalf of Russia.
Earlier this month, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonator was discovered at Leipzig airport near Ukrainian transport aircraft. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a "hybrid attack by foreign powers."