German authorities are investigating whether a group of individuals, allegedly in the Russian payroll, who damaged German cars, also carried out similar acts in France. According to the findings of the investigators, the suspected Russian mastermind thanked one of the suspects from the Ulm area for the “good work” in Paris, as reported by the “Spiegel”. A selfie taken in front of the Eiffel Tower was found on the phone of another of the accused, the article states. German authorities have engaged the French police and intelligence services in the investigation. As of the research by “Spiegel” and “Mediapart”, no findings of sabotage acts that could be attributed to the group have been reported in France so far.
In December, a Serb, a Bosnian and a German allegedly damaged more than 270 cars in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The acts primarily involved clogging exhaust pipes with foam and leaving stickers with a Robert Habeck photo, aiming to give the impression of the work of radical climate protectors.
However, the authorities believe that the sabotage series was commissioned from Russia to harm the Green Party in the election campaign. A Russian allegedly coordinated the acts via chat, as one of the accused confessed. For each damaged car, they were to receive a 100-euro reward, with thousands of euros already having been paid out.