German court fines three migrants for foam-filled exhaust sabotage linked to Russian operatives
Three recent immigrants were convicted by the Ulm district court for sealing car exhausts with expanding foam across six German cities, receiving fines and community service, in a case investigators say was funded by a Russian source.
In a coordinated sabotage effort in December 2024, more than 270 cars in Blaubeuren, Langenau, Ulm, Neu-Ulm, Schönefeld and Berlin had their exhaust pipes blocked with expanding foam and were marked with a “be greener!” sticker featuring former Economy Minister Robert Habeck. The Ulm district court convicted three recent immigrants—from Bosnia, Serbia and Romania—who had pleaded guilty. Two male defendants, aged 18 and 22, were ordered to pay €3,000 each to the state treasury, and the 21-year-old female defendant received a sentence of 50 hours of community service.
Investigators say the operation was commissioned by a Russian national, offering €100 per vehicle, aiming to sway the upcoming 2025 Bundestag election and damage the Green party. A fourth suspect is already detained for an unrelated crime. The case echoes warnings from the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz about Russian intelligence recruitment and sabotage activities in Germany.
Why it matters
It reveals a foreign-linked sabotage campaign aimed at influencing Germany's upcoming election.
In this story
