VILNIUS, Lithuania – Authorities in Lithuania revealed on Monday that Russian military intelligence was allegedly responsible for an arson attack on an IKEA store in the nation’s capital last year.
The Lithuanian prosecutor’s office has filed an indictment against an individual accused of setting fire to the IKEA shopping center in Vilnius on May 9, 2024. It was noted that the suspect, who was a minor at the time of the incident, acted in alignment with the objectives of Russian military structures and security organizations.
According to a statement from the prosecutor general’s office, the suspect, accompanied by another individual, participated in a clandestine meeting in Warsaw, Poland’s capital. During this meeting, they allegedly agreed to ignite and explode shopping centers in Lithuania and Latvia for a reward amounting to 10,000 euros. Additionally, the compensation was set to include a BMW.
“These acts of terrorism were designed to heavily intimidate the populace of both nations, unlawfully pressuring Lithuania, the European Union, and other countries to lessen or cease their support for Ukraine. Furthermore, they sought to destabilize key political, economic, and social structures of the state,” said the statement.
Poland, along with the Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, are recognized as some of the most robust supporters of Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s broad-scale invasion.
