Mourning wreaths placed at arms firms supplying Ukraine across EU

Mourning wreaths adorned with black ribbons and portraits of company leaders were displayed outside defense contractor headquarters in Lithuania and Czechia, according to Delfi on August 30. This coordinated act, believed to be a Russian provocation, took place at RSI Europe's headquarters in Vilnius, where multiple funeral wreaths were placed outside the uncrewed aerial systems manufacturer.

An adjacent portrait of RSI Europe's CEO, Tomas Milašauskas, bore a mourning ribbon. Milašauskas dismissed the incident as a "typical intimidation" tactic, stating that his company would remain focused on its work, unbothered by the Russian's efforts to distract and misdirect. He noted that while such physical provocation was unprecedented, earlier cyberattacks had disrupted operations.

In Czechia, a similar occurrence occurred outside the corporate offices of defense conglomerate Czechoslovak Group (CSG), complete with a funeral wreath and portrait of executive David Čour. Lithuanian authorities reported that a suspect had been detained in connection with the Vilnius incident and a pre-trial investigation was initiated.

The suspect, identified as a Ukrainian national, was allegedly recruited by a Belarusian citizen to deliver the funeral wreaths. RSI Europe provides Ukraine's armed forces with FPV strike drones and remote detonation systems, while CSG manufactures artillery ammunition and heavy military hardware, including large-caliber artillery shells produced domestically in Ukraine since 2025.