Germany charges 3 foreigners in custody over alleged Russian spying plot

BERLIN

Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday that it has filed charges against three people suspected of spying for Russia.

According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the accused are Ukrainian, Russian, and Armenian and were allegedly commissioned by a Russian intelligence agency to spy on a former Ukrainian fighter in Germany, possibly with the intent to kill him.

The Armenian suspect is said to have been hired by a Russian intelligence agency in early May 2024 to spy on a man living in Germany who fought for the Ukrainian armed forces following the onset of Russia's conflict. The accused had hired the two alleged accomplices for this purpose.

On June 19, the purpose was to be accompanied to a meeting at a cafe in downtown Frankfurt, on the main river. The alleged agents intended to identify the man and gather additional information about him.

However, he had already contacted the German police, so the meeting never took place. Police arrested the accused, and they have been in custody since.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office suspects that the spy operation was designed to prepare for further intelligence operations in Germany. They believe the target was meant to be killed.​​​​​​​

Germany has been the alleged target of Moscow's spying operations in recent years, particularly since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.