Teenage Refugee Recruited by Russian Spies in Huge Ikea Arson Attack

[Social Media]

 

A Ukrainian teenager living as a refugee in Europe was allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence operatives to carry out a firebombing attack on an Ikea store in Lithuania, according to reports that underscore Moscow’s escalating use of unconventional tactics in its conflict with the West. The teenager, just 17 years old, is said to have been promised $11,000 and a BMW in exchange for setting fire to the Ikea store in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, as part of Russia’s growing hybrid warfare strategy aimed at sowing chaos and undermining Western support for Ukraine.

 

 

According to a New York Times report, Lithuanian prosecutors believe the young man was approached by Russian spies through Zengi, a Chinese encrypted messaging app. The agents, who allegedly used the James Bond-inspired alias “Q,” are said to have made contact with the teen while he was living as a refugee in Poland. He had fled Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and was later resettled in the European Union. Lithuanian authorities claim he entered the country in April 2024 to scout targets before launching the arson attack in May.

 

 

Security officials believe the teen planted an incendiary device in the bedding department of the Ikea store, intending to burn the entire structure to the ground. Though the fire failed to destroy the building, it has sparked widespread concern about the growing use of refugees in covert sabotage efforts. According to reports, while the teenager did receive an old BMW, the cash he was promised never materialized. He also reportedly surveilled another Ikea store in the city of Siauliai, a location that hosts a NATO base.

 

 

“This is a disturbing evolution in Russia’s hybrid war against Europe,” said Marius Cesnulevicius, national security adviser to the Lithuanian president. “For Russia, age, gender and ideology don’t matter... their goal is to coerce and deter us from supporting Ukraine. We are supporting Ukraine, and, in the Kremlin’s logic, this means we are supporting Nazis.”

 

 

Lithuania’s concerns have been further reinforced by a series of recent incidents suggesting a broader campaign of sabotage across Europe. In Siauliai last year, authorities arrested an 82-year-old retired man, Eduardas Manovas, who was later sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for spying on behalf of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency. Spy equipment was reportedly found in his home.

 

The teenager in the Ikea case is also believed to have been communicating with his Russian contacts through Telegram, another encrypted platform. There, they used the codename “Warrior2Alpha.” Lithuanian intelligence officials have expressed alarm over how easily Russia appears to recruit individuals to carry out such attacks, likening the process to a “gig economy” for sabotage.

 

Darius Jauniskis, the outgoing head of Lithuania’s state security department, did not mince words when describing the broader implications. “We have already entered a war zone in Europe. Their goal... is to create havoc, to create mistrust and panic... welcome to World War III.”

 

The Ikea arson attempt coincided with a suspicious fire at a Berlin arms factory and came amid a spate of other incidents investigators now suspect may be linked to Russian intelligence. Authorities have accused Russian operatives of targeting DHL logistics facilities in cities like Birmingham, Leipzig, and Vilnius, aiming to disrupt aviation by planting incendiary devices. A shopping center blaze in Poland during the same period is also being blamed on Russian agents.

 

The coordinated nature of these attacks, including apparent prior research into fire safety protocols at a German arms factory, points to an increasingly aggressive Russian campaign aimed at striking critical infrastructure, fostering instability, and discouraging European nations from continuing their support for Ukraine.

 

Based on a report by The Telegraph  2025-04-12

 

 

[Hakuna Matata]

 

[This Guy]

Western nations and their media are really clutching at straws with this one

[Watawattana]

8 minutes ago, This Guy said:

Western nations and their media are really clutching at straws with this one

Obviously this article doesn't contain all of the evidence to support its assertions, but I'm unsure what your full opinion is?  Not trying to troll, I'm just just interested for balance.

[NanLaew]

22 minutes ago, This Guy said:

Western nations and their media are really clutching at straws with this one

 

Did "Q" told you to post this comment?

[Packer]

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

Did "Q" told you to post this comment?

 

It certainly wasn't his IQ.