Slovak police foil arson plot at Ukrainian drone plant near Presov

A foiled arson plot in Slovakia targeted a plant operated by Skyeton, a Ukrainian drone manufacturer, Reuters has confirmed in a statement from the prosecutor's office. Police say they managed to prevent the attack.

Three suspects are accused of planning the attempted arson at Tropozond s.r.o, a subsidiary of Skyeton located near the city of Prešov. Two of them—a Latvian and a Ukrainian citizen—have been detained in Slovakia and are being held in custody while the investigation continues. A third suspect, a 26-year-old Latvian national, was detained in Hamburg, and Germany is now considering his extradition.

Skyeton has stated it believes Russia was behind the operation. “Russians routinely attempt to attack our manufacturing facilities in Ukraine, as well as damage our reputation. The recent attempt to attack our plant in Slovakia is yet more evidence that Ukrainian defense manufacturers have become a real thorn in their side,” the company said in a statement.

According to Slovak outlet Dennikn, Skyeton’s Slovakia plant produces goods for Western markets, while its facility in Ukraine supplies the Ukrainian armed forces. Earlier, Slovak police reported that the suspects were found with a hand-drawn map of the factory and a large quantity of incendiary mixture. Forensic analysis determined the substance was a blend of gasoline and polystyrene, also known as napalm.

A little-known group calling itself Global Citizens Against War 1984 (GCAW1984) claimed responsibility for the attempted sabotage. Dennikn reported that it received an email with a statement from the group. On August 27, the group—which describes itself as an anti-war movement—published a manifesto on its website, justifying attacks on the defense industry as part of “the struggle for peace”.

“Yes, we attacked Tropozond s.r.o in Slovakia, a company producing drones for the Ukrainian army and other armies globally. Yes, we fully claim responsibility for this act, but demand that it not be considered a criminal offense, as it was done solely to draw attention to the numerous armed conflicts made possible by the militarization of national economies, sanctioned by local politicians in the interests of owners of military-industrial corporations, who profit from others’ suffering and make large sums while others receive news of the deaths of their loved ones. We declare that any companies manufacturing weapons and ammunition for supply to conflict zones and facilitating the escalation of current conflicts are legitimate targets for us. <...> Today we attacked Slovakia; tomorrow you will hear about us in other countries. We know about all military facilities in Europe, Russia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.”

In less than three weeks in August, Europe saw explosions or fires at three plants connected to arms supplies for Ukraine. On August 10, an ammunition production and storage facility owned by Bulgarian defense company EMCO, belonging to Bulgarian businessman Emilian Gebrev, was rocked by an explosion in Bulgaria. Gebrev and his arms companies have previously been targeted in suspected Russian military intelligence operations. Investigations by The Insider, Bellingcat, and Der Spiegel linked Russian GRU agents to an attempt to poison Gebrev as well as to explosions at depots holding munitions slated for Ukraine.

On August 13, an explosion and fire hit the Ammo Italy plant in Colleferro, near Rome. The facility is owned by the KNDS holding, which also has a subsidiary operating in Ukraine. A few days later, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said authorities had found no evidence linking Russia to the incident.

On August 15, an arson attack in Tallinn targeted the offices of Estonian company Milrem Robotics, a supplier of unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine’s military. Two suspects were soon detained in Latvia.