Germany arrests Ukrainian man suspected of spying on defense company for foreign intelligence
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A 33-year-old Ukrainian man has been arrested on suspicion of photographing the premises of a Bavarian defense company as part of a possible plot to carry out acts of sabotage, German authorities reported on Aug. 6.
The Munich General Prosecutor's Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office said that there are "strong grounds" to suspect the man was a "low-level agent" acting on behalf of the intelligence service of a foreign nation.
While German authorities did not specify which foreign power the man is suspected of acting for, his arrest comes amid a string of previous detentions across Europe of individuals allegedly recruited by Russian security services as part of broader hybrid warfare efforts to sow discord.
Russian intelligence services offer easy money to so-called low-level agents to carry out sabotage operations on their behalf, according to Western authorities.
In early February, German authorities indicted a Ukrainian citizen in connection with an alleged Russian-orchestrated plot to send explosive packages across Europe.
Meanwhile, Polish prosecutors charged four Ukrainian citizens and one Russian citizen in early January with allegedly planning to deliver explosive devices to several Western countries.
