What is known about the Vitebsk resident accused of attempting to blow up a plane in Germany

Karshakov's name surfaced after the release of a joint investigation by The Telegraph and Welt am Sonntag. Journalists, citing Western intelligence, write that Karshakov acted on the direct orders of GRU officer Oleg Levushkin from sabotage unit 29155.

It was the Vitebsk resident, it is alleged, who launched a drone with Semtex explosives into the wing of a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane in Leipzig. The drone miraculously did not detonate, and on a glove left near the antenna, police found Karshakov's DNA from a Finnish database.

The man is also suspected of involvement in the arson of a construction store in Łódź, Poland, in 2024. European authorities consider these actions as acts of international terrorism and a coordinated Kremlin campaign to intimidate countries supporting Ukraine.

What is known about this man?

Andrei Karshakov was born on July 23, 1986, in Vitebsk. According to Belpol, in the 2000s he worked at the "Vitebsk Broiler Poultry Farm" and for the private company "Strakhar". Since 2011, the man was registered as an individual entrepreneur and provided freight transport driver services. His business in Belarus lasted until June 2018.

Far from everything in the Vitebsk resident's life went smoothly — he repeatedly had problems with the law. As early as 2010, Karshakov was arrested in Finland for attempting to steal clothing worth hundreds of euros — it was then that his DNA profile entered European criminal databases. And in July 2018, back home, he caused a drunken disturbance: he kicked and shattered the windshield of someone else's car near the Vitebsk club "Vintage".

Shortly after 2018, Karshakov obtained registration in Smolensk, Russia. Concurrently, his active trips to the European Union began. Border crossing databases record dozens of trips by the Vitebsk resident to Germany, Poland, and Austria.

In recent years, he seemingly had a good income. Since June 2023, the man started using a premium 2019 BMW X6. And since December 2024, he regularly stayed at the expensive Moscow hotel Radisson Blu Olympiyskiy (leaks also record stays in July and October 2025).

The question arises as to what was the source of income needed for such a lifestyle for this man.

Павялічыць

It appears that Karshakov spent most of his life abroad or traveling — he doesn't even have mobile numbers registered in Russia, although he managed to obtain a Russian passport.

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