Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's team delivered a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to Russian intelligence's suspected plans to smuggle incendiary devices onto U.S.-bound cargo planes, The New York Times reported on Jan. 14, citing unnamed sources.
Moscow has been suspected of being behind incidents in July 2024 that saw several parcels sent by individuals catch fire in warehouses in Germany and the U.K. The fires could have resulted in plane crashes if they had happened during the flight.
The U.S. media wrote that these operations were intended as preparations for similar plots targeting the U.S. and Canada, which reportedly alarmed White House officials.
U.S. intelligence obtained conversations in August 2024 between Russian secret service officers discussing details of the plan. The White House, uncertain whether the Russian leader knew about the plan, warned Putin through back-channel communication to stop the operation, the outlet wrote.
At least five high-ranking Russian officials, including foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin, FSB head Alexander Bortnikov, and presidential advisor Yuriy Ushakov, were contacted to ensure Putin received the Biden administration’s warning.
The article does not reveal the details or nature of this warning.
Russia has long engaged in a variety of disruptive behavior toward Europe, also using its cyber capabilities to target civilian infrastructure. Moscow is responsible for 80% of all the foreign influence operations in Europe, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said at a conference in Prague in October 2024.
Boldizsar Gyori
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