Here’s what we know about the terror letters against Ukraine and its supporters: Russia is sending troops to Turkey

A series of letter bombs targeting high-profile targets in Spain has put Western Europe on alert. In addition to the Spanish prime minister, the US embassy in Madrid, an EU satellite center and a Spanish arms factory were also targeted.

The Ukrainian foreign minister speaks of a new form of terror directed against diplomatic missions abroad and against supporters of Ukraine.

What are the new terrorist threats?

Two other Ukrainian embassies abroad have received letters with “very specific threats,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in Poland on Thursday. He did not disclose which countries are involved.

The Ukrainian politician described this as a new form of terror that has all the hallmarks of a “targeted, large-scale campaign” against his homeland.

The news of increasing threats against Ukrainian diplomatic missions around the world comes just a day after the attacks in Spain, US news outlet The Daily Beast reports.

How many attacks were there in Spain?

A total of six shipments of explosive contents have been sent to the Ukrainian and US embassies in Madrid and to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in recent days, the interior ministry and national police announced on Thursday.

An employee was only slightly injured when the letter bomb was opened in the Ukrainian embassy.

For now, the youngest addressee on Thursday was the US Embassy. There, a suspicious charge was detonated in a controlled manner by Spanish explosives experts. The US embassy and Spanish security authorities have activated the anti-terror protocol.

When did the attack sequence begin?

According to the information available so far, the first letter bomb of this series was sent to Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez on November 24. This shipment was defused, it said.

What explosives do the shipments contain?

A source close to the Spanish investigation told Reuters that all the explosives were shipped in brown envelopes loose gunpowder with an electric detonator contained. All letters were probably posted in Spain.

One of the intercepted shipments was not destroyed and could be examined by police specialists. “The scanner showed that there was a suspicious mechanism in it,” said a spokeswoman for the Spanish defense ministry.

What does this have to do with the war in Ukraine?

According to media reports, the Spanish authorities do not rule out that all programs are related to Spain’s support to Ukraine in the fight against the Russian offensive.

The investigations are based on terrorist attacks. However, the perpetrator(s) are still unknown.

Ukrainian ambassador Serhiy Pohoreltsev suspected Russia was behind the attack on the embassy.

After the explosion at the Spanish embassy in Ukraine, a letter bomb arrived late Wednesday evening in Zaragoza at the Spanish arms manufacturer Instalaza. This was defused by the special police unit, as Secretary of State for Security Rafael Pérez announced. The company involved produces weapons of war (including the C90 grenade launcher) that Spain has supplied to Ukraine.

According to official information, another suspicious shipment arrived early on Thursday morning Torrejón Air Force Base near Madrid intercepted. It was addressed to the European Union (EU) satellite center, Pérez said. A spokeswoman for the European Commission in Brussels confirmed the information. Military planes take off from Torrejón with supplies for the Ukraine.

Another letter bomb went off on Thursday morning Ministry of Defense in Madrid addressed to Secretary of Defense Margarita Robles. This shipment was also neutralized.

What does Russia say?

The Russian government led by Vladimir Putin – who in February marched troops into Ukraine and is waging a war of aggression against the neighboring country in violation of international law – has not yet commented on the attacks. The Russian embassy in Spain on Thursday condemned any “terrorist” activity via Twitter, saying such threats or actions were “completely reprehensible”.

Spain’s defense minister said neither sending letters containing explosives nor any other violent action would change Spain’s “firm and clear” commitment to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian invaders.

Sources

(dsc/sda/dpa)