The German federal prosecutor's office announced this Thursday the arrest of two suspected Russian spies, suspected of having planned acts of sabotage, including against "installations of the American armed forces" in order to undermine military support for Ukraine.
The two men, who also have German nationality, were arrested in Bayreuth, a city in Bavaria, in the south-east of the country, the anti-terrorism prosecution said in a press release.
Accused of “having been active for a foreign intelligence service”
Identified as Dieter S. and Alexander J., they are accused of having carried out scouting for potential targets for attacks, including “installations of the American armed forces” stationed in Germany.
Police also searched the homes and workplaces of the two men on Wednesday. They are suspected of “having been active for a foreign intelligence service” in what prosecutors describe as a “particularly serious case” of espionage.
A desire to “undermine the military support provided by Germany”
The main accused, Dieter S., had been exchanging information with a person linked to Russian intelligence services since October 2023 with a view to possible acts of sabotage on German territory.
“The actions were aimed in particular at undermining Germany's military support for Ukraine (to defend itself) against the Russian war of aggression,” prosecutors said.
One of them was ready to carry out “attacks”
Dieter S. reportedly declared himself ready to this contact to “commit explosive attacks and arson attacks, mainly against military infrastructure and industrial sites in Germany”.
To this end, Dieter S. gathered information on potential targets, “including U.S. armed forces installations.” Alexander J. joined him from the end of March 2024, according to the prosecution.
Dieter S. took photos and filmed videos of certain potential targets such as transports and military equipment, then allegedly communicated this information to his contact.
Accused of being a terrorist from the “Donetsk People’s Republic”
Dieter S. is also accused of belonging to a foreign terrorist organization, with prosecutors suspecting him of having been a fighter between 2014 and 2016 of an armed unit "Donetsk People's Republic", a separatist territory in eastern Russia. 'Ukraine.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) told the German Press Agency: "We know that the Russian power apparatus is also targeting our country." According to him, Germany must react to this threat defensively and decisively. With the arrest of the two men, the Federal Prosecutor General achieved a “new significant success” in the fight against the sabotage and espionage network of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports the German daily Die Zeit.
Multiple cases since the start of the invasion
Germany has been rocked by several cases of alleged spying on behalf of Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
A former German secret agent is currently on trial in Berlin for having transmitted classified information to the Russian security services (FSB) in the fall of 2022, an accusation he categorically denies.