Arya News - Two men have been arrested on suspicion of sabotaging several German warships.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of sabotaging several German warships.
The shipworkers, a 37-year-old Romanian and a 54-year-old Greek national, are accused of tampering with the vessels by pouring more than 20kg of steel pellets into an engine block, puncturing freshwater lines, removing fuel tank caps and disabling fuses in the onboard electronics.
Prosecutors said the vessels – two state-of-the-art corvettes – were docked at Hamburg harbour in 2025 when the suspected sabotage occurred.
It was discovered during pre-departure checks as one of the ships, the Emden corvette, was preparing for its inaugural journey to the port city of Kiel.
Another ship, the Köln corvette, lost power and began to smoke, according to German tabloid Bild. A crew member only discovered the smoke by chance, the publication added.
It could have led to significant damage if left undetected, the prosecutor general’s office said.
Prosecutors said they are still reviewing evidence and will address the question of who might have ordered the sabotage.
The two men were arrested in Hamburg and a village in Greece. Their residences in Hamburg, Romania and Greece were searched by authorities.
‘Hired for painting work’
According to Greek police officials and security sources, the 54-year-old man was arrested at his home in northern Greece following a European arrest warrant issued on behalf of Germany.
Among the items confiscated from his home were six mobile phones, three USB sticks, a SIM card and a hard drive, as well as evidence of 19 bank accounts.
According to Greek court documents, the arrested men were hired for painting work on the Köln corvette in June 2025.
During the work, they are accused of manually shutting the control panel, cutting power off on the vessel and risking starting a fire.
Germany’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters news agency.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office in Hamburg declined to say whether authorities suspected Russia of being behind the suspected sabotage.
Political leaders and military officials have accused Russia of engaging in several acts of sabotage, espionage and hybrid warfare across Europe, both before and after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Suspected incidents have increased since the invasion began. Drone activity has disrupted several major airports and military bases, while undersea cables in the Baltic have also been damaged.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied such allegations, dismissing them as unsubstantiated.
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