Not the Onion

Lithuanian prosecutors have blamed the Russian military intelligence service for being behind an arson attack on an Ikea store in Vilnius last year, calling it “an act of terrorism”.

Lithuania, a Nato member, has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February 2022, and has frequently warned of Russian sabotage attempts.

On Monday, the Lithuanian prosecutor general’s office attributed the arson attack in Vilnius in May 2024 to Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.

There were no casualties, but the prosecutor Arturas Urbelis told reporters: “We regard this act as an act of terrorism with serious consequences.”

Two Ukrainian citizens were suspects in the Ikea arson case, with one being detained in Lithuania and the other in Poland, he added.

“It has been established that through a series of intermediaries … the organisers of these crimes are in Russia and this is connected to military intelligence and security forces,” Urbelis said.