Lyce · Hybrid Watch

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Fire at Lodz Leroy Merlin.

In July 2024, a fire broke out at the Leroy Merlin home improvement and gardening store in Lodz, causing estimated losses of approximately $56,000. While the fire was successfully extinguished and initially blamed on a storage accident, Polish authorities later connected the incident to a broader sabotage campaign orchestrated by Russian Military Intelligence (the GRU). This operation was part of a series of arson attacks and parcel bomb plots across Europe (including the Marywilska 44 fire in Warsaw and the IKEA arson in Vilnius). Handlers utilized Telegram to recruit local operatives to plant incendiary devices in high-traffic retail spaces. Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesperson for the security minister, confirmed that the Lodz fire was not an accident but a coordinated hybrid warfare effort intended to create economic disruption and public insecurity within NATO territory.

Occurrence
2024-07-25
Publication
2024-07-25T12:45:02Z
First observed
2026-09-24T06:09:10.079Z
Review status
Not assessed
Countries
PL
Updated
2026-09-27T23:56:59.668Z

E/M/R/S scores

  • EExistence0/4 · Not assessed
  • MIntent0/4 · Not assessed
  • RRussian actor link0/4 · Not assessed
  • SRussian state responsibility0/4 · Not assessed

Facts

No facts

Sources

  1. Role
    discovery_lead
    Date
    2024-07-25T12:45:02Z

    In July 2024, a fire broke out at the Leroy Merlin home improvement and gardening store in Lodz, causing estimated losses of approximately $56,000. While the fire was successfully extinguished and initially blamed on a storage accident, Polish authorities later connected the incident to a broader sabotage campaign orchestrated by Russian Military Intelligence (the GRU). This operation was part of a series of arson attacks and parcel bomb plots across Europe (including the Marywilska 44 fire in Warsaw and the IKEA arson in Vilnius). Handlers utilized Telegram to recruit local operatives to plant incendiary devices in high-traffic retail spaces. Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesperson for the security minister, confirmed that the Lodz fire was not an accident but a coordinated hybrid warfare effort intended to create economic disruption and public insecurity within NATO territory.