Belarusian customs officials have intercepted a van carrying 580kg of high-grade explosives material headed for Russia. The Moldovan-registered vehicle raised suspicions while entering Belarus from Poland near the city of Brest. A detailed inspection uncovered the explosives hidden under thick panelling and masked with foul-smelling grease to deceive sniffer dogs, the State Customs Committee said.
Checkpoint chief Sergey Yakuta called it the largest such seizure ever recorded. Lab analysis identified the material as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) — a powerful, hard-to-detect explosive often linked to terrorist and intelligence operations. Israel reportedly used PETN in its Pager attack in 2024 against Hezbollah.
The driver, 41-year-old Belarusian citizen Yevgeny Manko, was identified by local media. A commercial hauler, Manko claimed he had no knowledge of the cargo, saying he was misled by an Estonian business contact who asked him to transport the van.
“It’s terrible. I was duped. They didn’t think about the consequences for me or my family,” Manko said.
The smuggling attempt was stopped last Wednesday, officials confirmed.
Belarus is a key Russian ally, maintaining close military and economic ties. In contrast, Poland and Estonia — the border points involved — have been strong backers of Ukraine amid its war with Moscow. Diplomatically and Militarily, both nations have sided with Ukraine since the war started.
Russia has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for attacks using explosives. One major incident occurred in 2022 when a truck carrying over 20 tons of hidden explosives detonated on the Crimean Bridge, killing five, including the driver. The more than three-year war between Ukraine and Russia has seen different tactics and innovations from the battlefield to the psychology of the people of these two nations.
Moscow accused Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, of organizing that attack. This week, HUR published an online ad seeking “couriers” to deliver “presents to the enemy,” seen by many as a recruitment call for covert sabotage missions.
The US and Russia are negotiating a peace deal to end the Russia Ukraine war although the battle continues on the ground. Recently, Russia has charged through regions to gain a better position on the ground, which it will use as a leverage point during peace negotiations that are still ongoing. How this latest possible act of terrorism may affect the peace negotiation now remains to be seen.
