Two soldiers have been arrested in Germany for allegedly stealing weapons, explosives and diving equipment from various barracks in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. They wanted to give Ukraine a helping hand by blowing up the Crimean bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian peninsula Taman. This is apparent from police investigations published by the German magazine stern has reconstructed.
If the attack had succeeded, it would have been a huge blow to Russia. The Crimean Bridge – which was built after the annexation of the peninsula by Russia in 2014 – has enormous strategic, political and symbolic value for the Russians. It was President Vladimir Putin himself who was the first to cross the bridge in an orange truck. The bridge (18 kilometers of railway bridge and 16 kilometers of car bridge) is of great importance for the supply of Russian military equipment used in the war against Ukraine.
According to German police reports, the two soldiers, Private Louis B. (20) and diver Akira W.-R. (24), the planned attack expanded into tapped telephone conversations. They discussed the material needed to destroy at least part of the bridge. The spectacular project, with which the two men apparently wanted to support Ukraine, was still in the planning stages when the two were arrested.
Break into barracks
The Public Prosecution Service in Kiel is now conducting further investigations into the soldiers and their accomplices. Together with ten other suspects, the perpetrators are said to have repeatedly broken into barracks of the Bundeswehr – the German armed forces – and stole equipment. Four of the suspects were on active service in the Bundeswehr at the time. They allegedly stole helmets, special cameras, compasses and radios, some to resell and some to use themselves, according to the report. stern†
Just before the arrests – at the end of May – the men had tried in vain to break into the barracks of the mine divers at the naval base Eckernförde. According to the police, there was a plan to travel to Ukraine with the stolen equipment a few days later.
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