Report: Russia plotted to start fires on planes bound for Canada and the U.S.

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Report: Russia plotted to start fires on planes bound for Canada and the U.S. The Wall Street Journal quoted Western security officials who described 'a covert Russian operation' Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Article content Canada needs to respond strongly to Russia’s reported plot to put incendiary devices aboard passenger aircraft bound for Canada and the U.S., says a Russia expert.

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Article content The plot — first reported in The Wall Street Journal — should serve as a warning to Canada to do more for Ukraine in its war against Russia, and to beef up its own defence budget, said Maria Popova, an associate professor of political science at McGill University. “We absolutely need to be clear-eyed that Russia considers us an enemy,” Popova said Monday. “This goes beyond Russia’s desire to conquer Ukraine.” On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Western security officials “believe that two incendiary devices, shipped via DHL, were part of a covert Russian operation that ultimately aimed to start fires aboard cargo or passenger aircraft flying to the U.S. and Canada, as Moscow steps up a sabotage campaign against Washington and its allies.”

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Article content The devices ignited at DHL logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England this past July, according to The Wall Street Journal. “The explosions set off a multinational race to find the culprits.” The newspaper is reporting that “investigators and spy agencies in Europe have figured out how the devices — electric massagers implanted with a magnesium-based flammable substance — were made and concluded that they were part of a wider Russian plot.” According to The Wall Street Journal, security officials are saying the devices, “sent to the U.K. from Lithuania, appear to have been a test run to figure out how to get such incendiary devices aboard planes bound for North America.” Polish authorities, the newspaper reported, have arrested four people in connection with the fires and “charged them with participating in sabotage or terrorist operations on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency.”

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Article content A Kremlin spokesman told The Wall Street Journal: “We have never heard any official accusations” of Russian involvement. The uncovered plot to bring down aircraft headed for Canada and the U.S. isn’t just about Western opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Popova said. “It’s waging this war on Western democracies as a whole. The idea is not just to be allowed to win in Ukraine,” she said. “It would be a big mistake to draw the lesson that if we maybe stop helping Ukraine, things will be fine and we’re going to go back to a normal relationship with Russia.” She predicted an escalation of “hybrid attacks meant to chip away and erode NATO’s unity.” One possibility, Popova said, is Canada will see “hostile moves” from Russia in the Arctic.

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Article content “We’re not fully aware that Russia is aggressive as opposed to insecure and defensive,” she said. But, bombings of Canadian or American airliners is “not a certain win for Russia.” “I think what’s much more likely are things getting blown up in countries that are closer to Russia in Eastern Europe,” Popova said. Russia wants to signal “that maybe it’s not worth it for NATO to defend three small Baltic countries,” Popova said. “It’s definitely a test of NATO’s resolve.” The West keeps “hoping that restraint on our part will create goodwill in Russia, and I think that is just fundamentally mistaken,” she said. “Only strength on our part can create respect and can contain Russia.” Canada needs to send more weapons to Ukraine and invest more in our own defence, Popova said.

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Article content “They see that we’re not, in fact, shoring up our capability to … defend the Arctic,” she said. “We’re continuing to count on the NATO umbrella and count on the fact that the U.S. provides security for us. And we’re not taking the Russian threat seriously.” A spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said in an email Monday that it has added security measures for U.S. aircraft operators and foreign air carriers “regarding certain cargo shipments bound for the United States.” The TSA continues “to be vigilant against threats to the aviation and air cargo systems,” said the spokesman. “We work closely with industry to take steps to protect against any potential threats whenever they emerge. At this time, there is no current active threat targeting U.S.-bound flights.” The RCMP and Global Affairs Canada did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Recommended from Editorial Russia takes notice of Canada's plan to buy 12 submarines Canada banishes a film with the nerve to portray Russians as human Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

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