DISINFO: The West organised the DHL cargo plane crash in Vilnius to blame Russia
SUMMARY
The Times newspaper reported on the risk of a DHL parcel bomb and Moscow's possible involvement five days before the crash of a DHL plane in Vilnius. The newspaper was preparing Western public opinion for a provocation aimed at blaming Russia.
It also reported that Russia could respond to attacks by Western long-range missiles with DHL parcels capable of blowing up a plane. The Times article was no accident.
It is not for nothing that the British press recently claimed, citing anonymous sources, that Russian special services could prepare actions against the West using DHL parcels. Obviously, at that time, a provocation was already prepared for the plane.
RESPONSE
A pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory spread by a State Duma member. The only evidence provided is a recent article from the Times, which highlights that the security services had seriously anticipated the threat of a parcel bomb.
On Monday, 25 November 2024, a Boeing 737 operated on behalf of DHL by the Spanish cargo airline Swiftair crashed near a house while on its final approach for landing in Vilnius, Lithuania. So far, no cause for the crash has been determined. Both the Lithuanian authorities and DHL have initiated separate investigations into the incident.
The head of the Lithuanian police, Arunas Paulauskas, told a news conference that the reason for the crash was "most likely either a technical accident or it could be a human error" but that all possible causes would be investigated.
It is true that the Times published an article considering the Kremlin’s use of parcel bombs but this no evidence to back the claim that Western countries devised this plot to blame Russia. DHL, the German parcel group, has been the target of two parcel fires in recent months involving packages sent from Lithuania. The incidents have been linked by the country’s officials to Russian military intelligence. Moreover, in early November Poland detained four people over a Russian parcel bomb plot targeting US-bound flights.
The idea that European secret services would perpetrate sabotage and terrorist attacks to blame Russia is a pure conspiracy theory. Russian intelligence services are already suspected of involvement in many illegal actions in Europe this year.
Read also related stories: Ukrainian spies sabotaged the undersea internet cable to Finland, or Russian origin of the men charged with spying in Germany is the only evidence of Russian state involvement, or Poland escalates relations with Russia accusing this country of arsons.