Russia accused of sabotage and cyberattacks in Poland, Lithuania and Azerbaijan

Polish authorities have accused Russian intelligence of orchestrating a major fire in a Warsaw shopping mall in May 2024. According to Polish ministers, the blaze was the result of arson ordered by Russian operatives. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said some suspects are already in custody.

Lithuania’s prosecutor general earlier accused Russia’s GRU of setting fire to an IKEA store in Vilnius using two Ukrainian nationals recruited with financial promises.

In Azerbaijan, MP Ramin Namazov claimed Russian-linked hacking group APT29 (Cozy Bear) carried out a cyberattack on media outlets in February. He said the operation was coordinated from a hotel in Baku.

According to investigations by The Sun and the Wall Street Journal, these acts may be linked to a new Russian spy unit known as SSD or "KGB 2.0". Based in the GRU’s Moscow headquarters and led by Colonel General Andrey Averyanov and Lt. General Ivan Kasyanenko, SSD is believed to be involved in cyber operations, sabotage, and targeted assassinations across Europe.