Lithuania suspects Russian provocation after mourning wreaths appear at defence firm
Nearly simultaneous incidents in Vilnius and the Czech Republic saw mourning wreaths and black-ribboned photos of executives placed outside defence-industry companies, which authorities call an intimidation attempt; Lithuanian police have already detained one suspect.
Lithuania and the Czech Republic experienced almost simultaneous incidents at companies operating in the defence industry, where mourning wreaths and photographs of executives marked with black ribbons appeared outside their buildings.
Footage circulating on social media, filmed in Vilnius, showed several mourning wreaths placed near the building of RSI Europe, a manufacturer of unmanned systems. A photograph of the company's head, Tomas Milašauskas, bearing a black mourning ribbon, was placed alongside them. Milašauskas himself is alive and well, and described the incident as an intimidation attempt, saying the company would continue working without being distracted. He noted this was the first time the firm faced such a provocation, though it had previously encountered attempted cyberattacks.
Lithuanian authorities had earlier warned defence-industry companies about the risk of various provocations and attacks. The head of the National Crisis Management Centre, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, said that this monitoring and the measures taken following prior discussions had helped detain individuals linked to the incident. Police reacted quickly and detained one suspect, and a pre-trial investigation has been opened. According to sources, the detainee is a Ukrainian citizen, allegedly hired to deliver the wreaths by a Belarusian citizen.
Almost simultaneously, mourning wreaths appeared outside the office of Czech defence company CSG, accompanied by a photograph of one of its executives, David Čurda. RSI Europe supplies Ukraine with FPV drones and remote detonation systems, while CSG manufactures ammunition and military equipment. Law enforcement is investigating whether the incidents in Lithuania and the Czech Republic are connected.
Further incidents possible
Remigijus Motuzas, head of the Lithuanian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, said such cases could become more frequent, calling it likely just the beginning, and urged continued vigilance even though security at infrastructure facilities has already been strengthened.
Photos and videos of the wreaths spread quickly across social media and Telegram channels after the incident, and Lithuanian officials linked this information campaign to methods characteristic of Russian intelligence services. The circulating posts repeated claims that NATO is allegedly waging war against Russia through Ukraine, and accused European companies supporting Kyiv of profiting from the war.
As previously reported, Estonia is investigating possible Russian involvement in an arson attack on a building belonging to Milrem Robotics, a maker of combat vehicles with close ties to Ukraine and control by a UAE-based investor. In Germany, a young Ukrainian was recently sentenced to prison for allegedly planning arson on Russia's behalf.
