Lithuanian prosecutors link Russia to a terrorist group that operated in several countries

Fires and explosions have been occurring in logistics and industrial centers in several European countries for some time now.

Intelligence services link Russia to attacks in several countries

In May 2024, the Ukrainian company Meest suffered a fire in a logistics center in Madrid, days after the same company suffered a fire in London. In January 2025, Western intelligence services linked Russia to acts of terrorism in several countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland. Suspicion points to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation (GRU).

The Lithuanian Prosecutor's Office links Russia to a terrorist attack on an IKEA store in Vilnius

More details about these acts of terrorism emerged this Monday. The Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania has issued a report on an arson attack on the Ikea shopping center in Vilnius May 9, 2024 (coinciding with the day when Russia celebrates the so-called "Victory Day"). The report states the following:

During the pre-trial investigation, with the successful cooperation of prosecutors from the General Prosecutor's Office, the Criminal Police Office of Lithuania, the State Security Department and officials from foreign countries, data was obtained, the totality of which allows a detailed reconstruction of the process of planning terrorist attacks secretly prepared in several countries, the exact circumstances of the fire in a shopping center in Vilnius and the people who participated in it.

The data contained in the pre-trial investigation materials allow a reasonable assumption that the specified criminal acts were committed by a foreign citizen who was a minor at the time, acting in the interests of the military structures and security services of the Russian Federation within a pre-established organized terrorist group aimed at committing terrorist crimes in Lithuania and Latvia, together with other persons for whom a pre-trial investigation is being conducted separately.

The accused, who systematically gathered special knowledge and acquired special skills necessary to commit terrorist crimes, is suspected of having arrived in Poland in the spring of 2024. During a secret meeting in Warsaw, he and another person agreed to set fire to and blow up shopping centers in Lithuania and Latvia for a reward of 10,000 euros. These terrorist acts were aimed at severely intimidating the society of both states, illegally forcing the Republic of Lithuania, the European Union and other states to reduce or terminate their support for the Republic of Ukraine, as well as destabilizing the most important political, economic and social structures of the state.

One of the payments for these terrorist acts was a BMW 530, according to information published by the Lithuanian Prosecutor's Office. The defendant in these crimes was arrested by the Lithuanian police in May 2024. Among those involved in this terrorist organization are individuals residing in Lithuania and Poland. The Lithuanian Prosecutor's Office adds:

It was established that through classified intermediaries, the defendants and other members of the organized terrorist group received detailed instructions and special knowledge necessary to prepare and execute attacks, as well as financing for vehicles, travel, living expenses, lodging, communication equipment and services, and other needs.

“The organizers of these actions are in Russia,” says a Lithuanian prosecutor.

Regarding this terrorist organization, Artūras Urbelis, Chief Prosecutor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania, has pointed out that the perpetrators of the fire at the IKEA center in Vilnius are Ukrainian citizens, and added: "The organizers of these actions are in Russia, they are related to military intelligence and security forces." The Lithuanian daily Lrytas.lt has pointed out the reason why this terrorist group had targeted Ikea:

It is believed that the choice of IKEA was not accidental: After Russia attacked Ukraine, 17 stores of this chain and 3-4 production sites in Russia were closed, affecting about 15,000 people in Russia. Working in Russia. In addition, the IKEA Group has made a significant contribution to supporting Ukraine.

A former head of Lithuanian intelligence calls the attack an act of war.

Regarding the information published by the Prosecutor's Office, the former director of the State Security Department (VSD), Lithuania's intelligence agency, Gediminas Grina, has stated that he has refused to simply describe what happened as "terrorism": "Terrorism is when someone takes certain actions because of their beliefs," Grina says. "What a hostile state does is not a crime, it is war."