Germany investigates Russia links to weapons cache discovered in woods, reports say

Germany is reportedly investigating potential Russian connections to a weapons cache discovered last year in a wooded area near Berlin. German intelligence sources suggest the firearms were intended for assassinations carried out on Russia's behalf.

Federal prosecutors are currently investigating a suspect in Romania for alleged espionage and "the preparation of a serious act of violence threatening the state," according to Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. While Dobrindt would not confirm reports linking Russia to the cache, he stated he could not dismiss "the involvement of foreign powers."

For several months, security agencies have issued warnings about Russian intelligence services potentially planning assassinations within Germany, with possible targets including defense industry executives or exiled opposition figures.

Dobrindt revealed that Germany's domestic intelligence agency became aware of a potential weapons cache in the woods on the outskirts of Berlin last October. Officials, aided by the Berlin State police, located the stash, which contained two handguns and ammunition. German security authorities suspect these weapons and ammunition were intended for use in attacks.

Reports from the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcasters NDR and WDR indicate the cache was meant to facilitate targeted killings on behalf of Moscow. Dobrindt explained that after the guns were rendered inoperable, the cache was placed under surveillance for months, but no one was observed approaching it.

"This case demonstrates that we are operating under a high threat level," Dobrindt commented.

The minister stated that prosecutors are investigating a suspect in Romania, who is currently detained in connection with planned parcel bomb attacks in that country. This will be a factor in any potential extradition. Dobrindt characterized the suspect as a "low-level agent" and declined to reveal their nationality. He added that several similar operatives, including one individual from Kazakhstan, have been apprehended this year.

This investigation follows previous allegations of Russian attacks on German soil. In 2024, German political figures expressed outrage over a CNN report claiming Russia had plotted to assassinate Armin Papperger, the head of Rheinmetall, Germany's largest arms company. In 2021, a German court sentenced Russian national Vadim Krasikov to life in prison for a murder in a Berlin park, concluding that the order came from Moscow. Krasikov was subsequently released in a prisoner swap.