Ukrainian Teenager Detained While Heading to Riga for Sabotage

The New Yorker, citing data from European law enforcement and intelligence agencies, points to a new tactic in Russia's hybrid warfare.

In April 2024, a Ukrainian woman named Anna received an unexpected call from an old acquaintance — a man named Danil Gromov. They had known each other from Kharkiv.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Anna fled to Vilnius with her family. Gromov informed her that he needed a favor: his friend was looking for someone in Vilnius who could pick up a package for him. Could Anna help? She agreed, and shortly after, she received a call via Telegram. A user named Warrior2Alpha informed her that the package was in a storage locker at the train station. He sent a screenshot of the receipt with a code to open the locker.

Anna retrieved a blue IKEA bag from the locker, the contents of which seemed strange: a remote-controlled car packed in a box, cables, several mobile phones, and chargers.

A few days later, Warrior2Alpha demanded that she send photos of the bag's contents. After Anna sent the pictures, she received new instructions — to move the bag to another storage locker at the station. Suspecting that something was wrong, the woman contacted the police.

Experts from the Lithuanian anti-terrorism unit determined that the seemingly toy-like items and devices were actually detonators intended for arson or explosions. To apprehend the recipient of the shipment, the police replaced the bag's contents with dummies and installed a GPS tracker. Anna placed the bag in the designated storage locker.

Shortly after, the package was picked up by a 17-year-old young man who boarded a bus heading to Riga. The police stopped the bus near Panevėžys and detained the teenager — Ukrainian refugee Danil Bardadym. During interrogation, he admitted that he had previously committed intentional arsons and was heading to Riga to repeat such actions.

Prosecutors indicated that the teenager acted "in the interests of military structures and special services of the Russian Federation."

It was previously reported that in Lithuania, prosecutor Tomas Uldukis appealed to the Vilnius District Court demanding a four-year prison sentence for Ukrainian citizen Danil Bardadym, accused of setting fire to the IKEA shopping center in Vilnius.