A wave of alarming parcels has targeted Ukrainian diplomatic missions across Europe. Ukrainian officials report that a bloody package arrived by mail at the Greek Embassy in Ukraine, following earlier deliveries to Ukrainian diplomats in several Western countries.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that the sender appears to be the same as on earlier envelopes directed at Ukraine’s missions: a Tesla car dealership in Sindelfingen, Germany. Investigators in Greece have begun their work, with the hope that German authorities will expedite their efforts. The meaning and intent behind these messages are still being clarified by law enforcement agencies. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not rule out a link to the explosion at the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Madrid or to ongoing threats against Ukrainian diplomats in Europe. Officials term this pattern as a targeted campaign directed at Ukrainian diplomacy.
As Dmitry Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, has stated, efforts by adversaries to suppress Ukraine’s diplomatic engagements will not succeed. The ministry emphasizes determination and resilience in supporting Ukrainian missions abroad.
Thirty-three alarming incidents in a span of weeks
Since the start of December, authorities report suspicious shipments reaching a consulate in Gdansk and Ukrainian embassies in Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Denmark. Officials note that many shipments originated from post offices lacking video surveillance, complicating precautionary tracking. The perpetrators reportedly took care to minimize DNA traces on the parcels, a sign of professional planning behind the operations.
These events have been described by Ukrainian leadership as a violent campaign against its representatives abroad. In total, 33 threats against Ukrainian diplomats were documented across 17 countries recently. The incidents include a suspected terrorist act, two mining warnings, a written threat, vandalism, and the delivery of 28 bloody parcels. The boxes either contained explosive devices or their lookalikes and even carried animal parts such as cow and pig eyes. Reports indicate bags of blood with animal eyes were sent to Ukrainian embassies in the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, and other nations, with the contents described as saturated with a colored liquid and emitting a noticeable odor.
Ukraine’s foreign affairs leadership has suggested that Russia or its allies may be responsible for these attacks, pointing to a broader effort to intimidate Ukraine on the diplomatic stage.
On the eve of the Madrid incident, threatening letters began arriving at Ukrainian diplomatic missions after a package exploded at the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid. The explosive device was addressed to Ambassador Sergei Pogoreltsev, and Spanish authorities labeled the event a terrorist attack. In other cases, deliveries reportedly reached the arms firm Instalaza, which supplies weapons to Ukraine, the Spanish Prime Minister’s office, the Spanish Defense Ministry, and the Torrejon de Ardoz airbase, along with the U.S. Embassy. Police later concluded that all the packages appeared to originate from Valladolid, although the sender’s identity remains unresolved.