German authorities arrest Russian saboteurs for plotting to disrupt aid to Ukraine
In Germany, the authorities in Bayreuth arrested two suspected spies who were reportedly surveilling American military bases on behalf of Russia and plotting attacks on military transportation routes to obstruct aid to Ukraine.
Der Spiegel reports this.
The main suspect is a 39-year-old German of Russian descent from Bavaria. The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses him, among other things, of agent activities for the benefit of special services for subversive purposes and filming military facilities, which threatens the security of the country.
Prosecutors say that Dieter S., one of the suspects, has been talking about sabotaging operations in Germany with Russian special service contacts since October 2023. He has reportedly agreed to carry out arson and detonations in military infrastructure, defense companies, and industrial facilities.
In addition, the main attention was paid to the transport routes used for transporting military cargo.
The ultimate goal of the planned attacks was to undermine German support for Ukraine, law enforcement officials said.
According to the investigation, the suspect also scouted and photographed US military facilities in Germany.
A 37-year-old German of Russian origin probably helped him in this. They sent the photos they took to their Russian clients.
Germany has become one of the largest providers of military aid to Kyiv since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and is a crucial target of Russian espionage operations, prosecutors said.
According to Der Spiegel, the US armed forces were among the military facilities where espionage was carried out in the city of Grafenwehr, Bavaria. There is a military training ground where the American army trains Ukrainian soldiers, particularly on Abrams battle tanks.
The main suspect in the period from 2014 to 2016 allegedly belonged to the "DPR" [Donetsk People's Republic – ed.] pseudo-group.
The German judicial system has since classified the unit as a terrorist organization — which is why the suspect is also accused of being a member of a terrorist organization abroad.
In addition, the suspect had a firearm, so the prosecutor's office opened an investigation against him on suspicion of preparing a violent crime that threatened the state.
It is worth mentioning that in 2022, Western intelligence assisted in the exposure of a treason suspect within the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany (BND).
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It should be noted that the Russian spy network continues to operate actively in European countries.
As Rubryka reported, journalists identified at least 38 Russian diplomats who may be spying undercover in Northern European countries during the investigation.
Switzerland has emerged as a hub for approximately 20 percent of Russian spies operating in Europe.
In addition, Russians increasingly use foreign nationals in their operations. Thus, according to Ukrainian intelligence, the Federal Security Service is trying to find foreigners in Canada who are in contact with the intelligence services of various countries in the world to recruit them.
Also, the Supreme Council of Defense of Romania (CSAT) stated that Russian spies entered the country together with Ukrainian refugees. In particular, they were supposed to collect information about military exercises and aid to Ukraine.
