The 5-ton mystery cargo of Lavrov's visit to Lula

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's April 17 visit to Brazil from Lula is creating unease among diplomatic representatives of countries supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia

Lavrov's shipment is stationary in Argentina, with transport to Brazil expected in less than a week. Sources cited by Brazilian media suspect that the more than 5-ton diplomatic cargo may contain sensitive equipment, gold bars, or undeclared money. In addition to the mysterious container, Lavrov will take 18 Russian intelligence agents with him to Lula. Diplomatic suitcases and luggage cannot be searched, but parliamentarians from the Senate Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee are making a fuss at the Itamaraty, the green-gold embassy. Details of the Russian diplomacy chief's trip were finalized during Celso Amorim's late March meeting with Putin, who invited Lula to visit him. Brazilian main newspapers reported that federal police suspect Brazil is being systematically used to train illegal agents by the Russian government.