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A new case of Russian espionage has set off alarm bells in Germany. The police have arrested two alleged Russian spies accused of searching for possible targets for attacks in the country, in an attempt to sabotage German support for Ukraine, as confirmed this Thursday by the German Prosecutor General's Office.
The two arrested men allegedly systematically spied on various military installations, railway lines and other infrastructure, and took photos and videos to prepare explosive attacks against supply lines for the Ukrainian army. The objective was to prevent the entry into Ukraine of weapons and other materials from Germany, which is the second country - behind the United States - that provides the most military aid to kyiv. They also collected information on other potential targets such as US Armed Forces facilities, including Grafenwöhr, in Bavaria, where Ukrainian soldiers train.
According to the statement from the Prosecutor's Office, the arrest of the two alleged spies – Dieter S. and Alexander J., both of Russian and German nationality – for, among other things, “carrying out activities as secret service agents and belonging to foreign terrorist organization Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)” took place on Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth, southern Germany. As part of this operation, the homes and workplaces of both men were searched.
Dieter S.'s membership in the DPR, where he allegedly fought against Ukraine between 2014 and 2016, was what caught the attention of German security officials. The Prosecutor's Office indicated that it was a pro-Russian organization that claimed control of the administrative district of Donetsk in the spring of 2014. The DPR and Ukrainian forces engaged in fierce fighting and the organization also repeatedly used violence against civilians.
In addition to this membership in “a foreign terrorist organization,” Dieter S. was in contact with a person linked to a Russian secret service, according to German authorities. Since October 2023, the accused exchanged information with this person about possible sabotage actions in Germany with the aim, in particular, of undermining this country's military support for Ukraine.
Likewise, it even showed its willingness to carry out attacks with explosives and arson, mainly against military infrastructure and industrial sites. To do this, he took photos and videos, for example, of transport and military goods and transmitted the collected information to the Russian secret services. At least from March 2024 he had the help of Alexander J. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, this is a particularly serious case of “activity of secret service agents”. The two men face prison sentences of up to 10 years.
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Moscow's cyberattacks and hybrid attacks against the West are not new. Germany has been confronting Russian espionage for some time. The last was in early March, when Russia intercepted a conversation between senior German military commanders about a possible shipment of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine and leaked it online in an attempt to “destabilize Germany,” as the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Reaffirmation of support for Ukraine
As a result of these arrests, the German Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador. Meanwhile, the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, has reacted by making it clear that Germany will continue to support Ukraine no matter how much Vladimir Putin's Government tries to prevent it. “Our security forces have prevented possible attacks with explosives aimed at attacking and undermining our military aid to Ukraine,” said Faeser, who also recalled that since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine all protection measures have been intensified. “against the hybrid threats of the Russian regime.” “We will continue to provide Ukraine with massive support and will not be intimidated,” she added.
“We know that the Russian power apparatus is also focused on our country. We must respond to this threat with vigor and determination,” wrote the German Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, on the social network X.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock declared this Thursday: “We will not allow Putin to bring his terror to Germany. "The Russian ambassador was informed of this today when summoned." Spokesman for the Russian presidential office in Moscow, Dmitri Peskov, said he had no information about the case. The Russian Embassy in Berlin rejected all accusations. “No evidence has been presented to attest to the plans of the detainees and their possible links with Russian structures,” he said in a statement. The ambassador's summons, according to the Russian diplomatic legation, was an "open provocation."
Olaf Scholz spoke on the matter after the EU summit in Brussels. The German Chancellor stressed that defense against these actions must be an absolute priority. “We can never accept that espionage activities of this type are carried out in Germany,” he declared without wanting to begin to assess possible consequences.
For Konstantin von Notz, president of the parliamentary committee overseeing the German intelligence services, this is “another very serious and highly alarming incident.” “It would simply be scandalous if Russia really planned actions of this type in Germany and tried to carry them out,” declared the Greens politician, who has asked that Germany react “also decisively in coordination with our international partners” if The accusations turn out to be true.
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