Cargo plane crash in Vilnius: hybrid attack, terrorist attack or accident (video)

The Lithuanian Ministry of Emergency Situations is investigating the crash of a DHL cargo plane, and Germany is wondering whether it was a “hybrid attack.”

Annalena Bärbock, German Foreign Minister, does not rule out that in the situation with the crash of a cargo plane of the German logistics concern DHL in Vilnius, we are talking about a so-called “hybrid incident.” She stated this at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G7 countries in Italy, quotes euronews:

“We now have to seriously ask ourselves, was this an accident or, after last week, another hybrid incident? This shows what turbulent times we are living in in the center of Europe.”

Let us remember how it was written our editionas a result of the disaster, one crew member was killed and three were injured. The DHL plane was flying from Leipzig to Vilnius. The cargo plane fell on a two-story residential building on Zhirnu Street, after which a strong fire started. It later became known that 12 residents were evacuated from the house on which the plane crashed. Initially, none of them were injured. Three of the four crew members also survived.

The cause of the plane crash remains unknown and an investigation is underway. Lithuanian officials said the possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out, but stressed that there is no concrete evidence at this time.

Last month, Western security officials warned that Russian military intelligence could carry out acts of sabotage against countries in retaliation for their support for Ukraine. Lithuanian intelligence chief Darius Jauniskis confirmed these fears:

“The Department of State Security, together with the Department of Operational Services, have warned that such things are possible in the future. We see Russia becoming more and more aggressive.”

Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kaciunas said:

“Based on the information that I have at the moment, I can say that there are no supporting facts that this was some kind of sabotage or terrorist act. But the investigation will answer all the questions.”

Aviation experts speaking to local media did not notice anything unusual when they listened in on conversations between the crew and air traffic controllers. Vidas Kaupelis, an aviation expert, noted:

“It seems that this was a normal situation from the point of view of the crew – normal communication between the dispatcher and the pilot. No emergency was declared, no technical malfunctions were mentioned, no fires were mentioned.”

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda noted that due to Russia's destructive behavior, any rare accidents in Europe now naturally raise suspicions about whether it was sabotage. However, he noted that it is too early to talk about any specific versions of the plane crash over Vilnius, writes Delfi:

“I repeat once again: of course, there is a possibility that this is sabotage, this cannot be ruled out. Therefore, it will be seriously investigated. It must be admitted that Russia’s actions, its destructive behavior will now force almost every plane crash to be viewed through such a prism as probable Russian intervention intelligence services.”

Germany and Spain will assist the Lithuanian authorities in the investigation. Meanwhile, the reason for saving the passengers of the plane that crashed in Vilnius became known. They survived thanks to the detached cabin, where the fire that arose after the crash did not reach. The reason for the rescue was revealed by ambulance doctor Bozhena Erenkivich, who arrived on the scene six minutes after the disaster, in a conversation with LRT.

According to her, one of the passengers was the least injured. However, he was not in the cockpit, but in another part of the plane, which also came off. “He himself said that his neck, back, head, and right elbow area hurt,” Erenkivich said.

Flight recorders have been found at the crash site of a DHL cargo plane that made an emergency hard landing in Vilnius the day before. Representatives of the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice reported on Tuesday, November 26:

“The recorders of the Boeing 737-476 aircraft were discovered at 11.30 am and were recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft.”

According to the department, specialists began organizing the reading of information from “black boxes.”

German intelligence services have repeatedly warned about the growing threat of sabotage in Germany and Europe. In particular, at the end of August, the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Criminal Office sent companies in the air transport and logistics sector a warning about “unconventional incendiary devices” sent by unknown persons through logistics firms.

This warning was related to an incident at the DHL logistics center in Leipzig, one of its global logistics hubs. In July, a parcel sent from the Baltic countries caught fire there.

Russian intelligence services were probably preparing explosions on cargo flights to the United States and Canada, warned Przemyslaw Nowak, a spokesman for the Polish National Prosecutor's Office. His words were quoted by Reuters on November 8. In July, parcel explosions also occurred at courier warehouses in the UK and Poland. The National Prosecutor's Office of Poland believes that initially part of the plan could have been to blow up the cargo in the air.

Currently, “intensive measures are being carried out to identify the remaining persons involved in the above-mentioned international group,” Novak clarified on November 8. “These actions are being taken in cooperation with law enforcement agencies of other EU countries,” he added. The parcels, according to the prosecutor's office, were sent from the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius.

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