Letter bombs in Spain were sent by Russian intelligence

U.S. and European officials suspect that Russian military intelligence was behind sending letter bombs to prominent targets in Spain in late November and early December 2022, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The investigation has recently focused on the Russian Imperial Movement, a radical group with members and associates across Europe, which has been designated a global terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department and is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence agencies.

“U.S. officials say that the Russian officers who directed the campaign appeared intent on keeping European governments off guard and may be testing out proxy groups in the event Moscow decides to escalate a conflict,” the story in NYT reads. “The apparent aim of the action was to signal that Russia and its proxies could carry out terrorist strikes across Europe, including in the capitals of member states of NATO, which is helping defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, said the U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivities around the investigation. Spain is a member of the alliance and has given military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as diplomatic support.”

There were six letter bombs sent to sites in Spain, mainly in Madrid. The Embassy of Ukraine was the first to report this attack.

Yury Chopyk, the Ukrainian Community Leader in Spain, told UWC in December that the ambassador’s secretary received the mailing addressed to the ambassador. A suspicious envelope without a return address was handed over to a security guard, who opened it outside the premises and received light burns on his hand.

The second package was addressed to Instalaza, a company specializing in weapons production based in in Zaragoza. The company exports its products to more than 35 countries, including Ukraine.

Other mail bombing targets included the official residence of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the U.S. Embassy, the Defense Ministry of Spain and the Torrejon Air Base. No one was killed in the attacks.