Four people suspected of sabotage in favor of Russia in Latvia

In Latvia, four people were exposed who, according to the investigation, conducted activities against the national security of the country in the interests of Russian intelligence, said the Latvian State Security Service (VDD).

On October 17, the agency asked the country's prosecutor's office to open a criminal case against four people on suspicion of malicious acts against critical infrastructure and other facilities in Latvia.

The VDD initiated its proceedings on June 10, 2024: during the investigation, law enforcement officers found that a group had been formed at the initiative of the Russian intelligence and security service (its name is not specified – Ed.), which planned to commit particularly serious crimes against Latvia.

The defendants planned, organized and carried out illegal activities against various facilities in Latvia, committing arson attacks – in the spring of 2025, the special service detained three people, while the fourth member of the group was already in prison for another crime, the agency explains.

"The set of evidence obtained by VDD indicates that, during the autumn of 2023, the suspected individuals planned and conducted an arson attack on a property owned by a private company because it implemented a project related to the field of defence. In the beginning of 2024, the individuals also conducted preparatory work with the goal to set on fire a truck with Ukrainian number plates within the territory of a critical infrastructure facility, namely, the persons surveyed and made video recordings of the surroundings of the facility, as well as the possible entry points within the facility’s territory," the statement said.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers also found that the suspects had been reconnoitering other potential targets for sabotage, including filming them and taking photos, which they then sent to organizers in Russia: "To prevent potential malign activities against these objects, VDD carried out a wide range of preventive measures."

The special service suspects two Latvian citizens of assisting Russia in actions against the country's security committed by a group of people, as well as intentional damage to other people's property. The third suspect is suspected of incitement to commit criminal acts, which manifested itself in the search for performers for the task.

A fourth person is suspected of facilitating the crime by using a vehicle in his control to transport the perpetrators to the crime scene and to help them leave the location.

Three of the suspects were remanded in custody, while another is still in custody for another crime.

• In late summer, Latvian law enforcement detained a local citizen who, according to investigators, was spying on military facilities and provided data to the aggressor country of the Russian Federation.
• At the end of October, a group of men were sentenced to prison in the UK for setting fire to a warehouse in London that supplied goods to Ukraine – the crime was organized by Wagner terrorist group.