20,000 Rounds of Ammunition Stolen from German Military Truck During Civilian Transport
Russia Suspected as the Mastermind
Drone Incursions and Assassination Attempts Reported in Germany
Amid the theft of 20,000 rounds of ammunition being transported by the German military, suspicions have arisen that Russia may be behind the incident. Recently, Germany has seen a series of crimes, including drone incursions and assassination attempts against senior executives at defense companies. The German government and Western intelligence agencies believe these are the actions of Russia.
20,000 rounds of ammunition stolen from truck...Suspicions of Russian involvement
According to German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) on December 2 (local time), 20,000 rounds of ammunition being transported by a civilian contractor for the German military were stolen. The incident reportedly occurred on the night of November 24. While passing through the Saxony-Anhalt region, the truck driver carrying the ammunition requested an unscheduled break and stayed at a nearby hotel, during which time the ammunition disappeared.
The German military only discovered the loss the next morning while unloading at a nearby base. As of now, neither suspects nor those behind the incident have been identified, and DW reported that the German military and police are conducting a joint investigation. Given the large quantity of stolen ammunition, authorities suspect that this was not a random act but rather a carefully premeditated crime. A German military official stated, "There is a possibility that the vehicle was tracked from the moment the ammunition transport plan was made," adding, "We are investigating the circumstances in which the driver took an unscheduled break and the crime subsequently occurred."
Although the exact perpetrators have not been identified, there is speculation both inside and outside the German military that Russia may be behind this theft. In May, one of Germany’s defense companies, Diehl Metall, which exports ammunition to Ukraine, suffered a large-scale fire believed to be arson, with Russia also suspected of being behind that incident.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing German security officials, reported, "Russia is recruiting civilian criminals from across Europe via Telegram to attack Germany’s ammunition supply chain," and added, "They mainly use shell companies and pay for crimes with cryptocurrency, so in many cases, the criminals themselves do not know exactly who their employer is."
Germany, a potential logistics hub in emergencies, targeted by Russia?...Over 1,000 illegal drone intrusions
Recently, Germany has experienced a series of crimes suspected to be orchestrated by Russia. The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced that, as of October this year, there have been more than 1,000 cases of illegal drone intrusions at German military bases, airports, defense companies, and key infrastructure. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in illegal filming at naval bases along Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, which has fueled strong suspicions that Russia, which has been escalating military provocations in these waters, is behind these incidents.
There are also suspicions that the fire at the home of Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger in April last year, a German defense company, was an assassination attempt planned by Russia. According to NBC News in the United States, American intelligence agencies obtained information about Russia’s plan to assassinate CEO Papperger early last year and informed the German government. Thanks to this advance knowledge, the assassination attempt failed.
Western authorities are concerned that, as Germany is expected to become a key logistics hub for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the event of a crisis, Russia will continue to attack its infrastructure. According to Germany’s DAP News Agency, citing German military officials, "Numerous attacks are underway on railways, roads, and infrastructure across Germany, some of which are deeply linked to Russian forces," warning, "Since Germany will become the central logistics hub for NATO forces, Russia will persistently attack Germany’s ports, power grids, and transportation networks in the future."
Meanwhile, Russia has denied these allegations. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated at a press conference, "The idea that Russia will attack NATO countries is absurd and nothing more than European hysteria," adding, "While it is true that we have several long-range drones, there are no targets in Europe for us to send drones to."
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