24-year-old Ukrainian hid weapons cache near Berlin on Moscow’s orders, report says

In a startling development, a 24-year-old Ukrainian named Vadym S. has been implicated in hiding a weapons cache near Berlin, according to a report by Der Spiegel. The source claims this cache was placed on Russian orders from Moscow. S. is believed to have traveled to Berlin by bus from Poland before placing the weapons in a wooded area close to Müggelsee lake.

Photos and coordinates were sent to handlers after the weapons were hidden. German security services managed to locate the cache using intercepted coordinates. Inside the cache, German authorities found two pistols, including a replica of a Makarov pistol, along with ammunition. The cache was later placed under secret surveillance to determine who would retrieve the weapons.

However, no one collected the weapons during the surveillance period, which lasted several weeks. This may have been due to the arrest of the suspect in Romania in mid-October, according to the report. In Bucharest, the suspect is alleged to have participated in attacks against the Ukrainian delivery company Nova Poshta along with a Ukrainian accomplice.

Romanian intelligence agency, SRI, suggests that S. and the accomplice were part of a "sabotage network" targeting European countries, controlled by Russian intelligence services. Prior to this, Polish intelligence had been monitoring S. as part of a counter-sabotage investigation.

The investigation also led to a lead involving one of S.'s relatives, who allegedly worked for Russian intelligence services. Romanian authorities have information suggesting that S.'s uncle orchestrated plans for him to send incendiary bombs. This also included leading S. to an underground cache in Poland, where modified headphones and six tubes filled with fire accelerant were found.