Investigations into Russian agents behind strikes on EU soil reach dead end

6 months ago 27

Russian agents who were found to be responsible for blasting ammunition deposits on Czech and Bulgarian territory following year-long investigations will likely lead nowhere as Russia’s non-cooperation currently makes bringing these agents to justice impossible.

In 2021, the Czech government found that Russian forces were behind explosions at two ammunition deposits in the small town of Vrbětice that killed two people in 2014. Bulgaria, also targeted by explosions as well as poisonings over the past decade or so, also launched its investigations.

But ten years later, authorities in both countries have postponed any further investigation or legal action as they have little hope of bringing the perpetrators to justice

“The police authority considers it proven that the explosions of the two warehouses in Vrbětice were carried out by members of Russian military intelligence, the Main Administration of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, known by the acronym GRU, whose motive was to prevent the delivery of weapons and ammunition to areas where the Russian army was conducting its operations,” Czech police said on Monday.

Although Czech investigators reached clear conclusions on Russian military forces’ involvement, there is a lack of cooperation from Moscow, points out Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan.

The Russian constitution prohibits the extradition of Russian citizens, no matter what crime they are accused of by the authorities of another country.

“The case is only postponed because Russia refuses to cooperate. There is no doubt who caused the explosions, they were GRU agents on the instructions of the Russian Federation,” Rakušan said during Monday’s press conference.

Suspects are currently on Russian territory, and Russian authorities have refused to comply with Czech requests to provide further evidence. Russia claims compliance would harm Russian sovereignty, public order and state interests.

According to Czech minister Rakušan, the case can be considered a violent action of the state directed against civilians, i.e. a war crime and an act of terrorism – a view shared by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

“The result of the investigation is not surprising, but it clearly confirms what we all suspected. Russian intelligence was behind the attacks in Vrbětice, and Russia, therefore, carried out a terrorist attack on our territory,” Fiala said, quoted by the Czech News Agency.

But in 2021, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Czechia’s accusations against Russia are “groundless and contradictory”. The authorities have not commented following Monday’s press conference.

Bulgarian prosecutor – helpless

On 20 November 2023, the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office officially asked the Kremlin to hand over the three Russian GRU officers who are accused of the poisoning of the arms dealer Emilian Gebrev, who had material stored in Vrbětice in the Czech Republic.

The three Russians are also accused of poisoning Gebrev’s son Hristo and the production director of the company “Emko” Valentin Tahchiev in 2015.

They are being investigated for attempted murder, the case is being handled by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

The accused are GRU employees Sergey Fedotov, Georgi Gorshkov and Sergey Pavlov, first brought to light by the investigative organisation “Bellingcat”. Fedotov is also among the suspects in the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal with “Novichok” in Salisbury in 2018.

The prosecutor’s office claims that the poisoning of the three Bulgarians was carried out as the door handles of Gebrev’s car were smeared with poison.

Besides poisoning, Russian agents were also accused of several explosions in Bulgarian military warehouses which occurred over the last 12 years.

In these deposits, military products destined for Georgia and Ukraine – countries which have been in military conflict with Russia for years – were located and destroyed. Part of this ammunition belonged to Gebrev’s company, Emko.

Despite this extensive activity on Bulgarian territory, Russian agents are escaping potential punishment. According to an anonymous official of the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office, the local authorities have no hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz and Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)