German prosecutors charge 3 with spying for Russia
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office charged three German-Russian citizens from the town of Bayreuth with spying for Moscow, the office's spokesperson told Der Spiegel newspaper on Dec. 30.
The main suspect is 40-year-old Dieter S., a former member of Russian proxy forces in Ukraine who the prosecutors said took pictures of military facilities and planned railway sabotage.
Warnings about Russian hybrid attacks and sabotage operations against NATO countries have mounted since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.
Der Spiegel reported that Dieter S. and his two suspected accomplices, 38-year-old Alexander J. and 43-year-old Alex D., are believed to have "explored" potential targets in Bavaria, including the U.S. Grafenwoehr military base where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained.
Apart from sabotaging railway tracks, the suspects were allegedly discussing bomb attacks and arson with the aim of undermining Germany's support for Kyiv, Der Spiegel reported.
German investigators said that Dieter S. had links to Russian intelligence services and previously fought for Russian proxy forces against Ukraine in Donbas between 2014 and 2016, including at the Donetsk International Airport, for which he was already charged in October.
Dieter S. and Alexander J. were arrested in April following an initial investigation by German security services, though Der Spiegel reported that the arrest warrant against J. was later suspended without providing reason.
NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai warned earlier this week that a Russian hybrid attack against an allied country could potentially lead to "substantial" casualties as sabotage cases surged in 2024.
In the most recent case, the Finnish authorities seized the Eagle S tanker transporting Russian oil on suspicion it cut an undersea cable between Finland and Estonia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
