BERLIN

The Higher Regional Court of Munich has convicted three men of spying for Russia, media reports said Thursday.

The alleged ringleader of the trio received a six-year prison sentence for planning acts of sabotage and his time as a paramilitary officer in eastern Ukraine. His two co-defendants received suspended sentences of six months and one year, respectively.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office had sought a sentence of eight years and eight months for the main defendant and one year's probation for each of the other two men. The defense, however, had requested acquittal for all three German Russians.

Main defendant was allegedly part of a paramilitary group in eastern Ukraine

The court found that the 41-year-old main defendant was a member of an armed terrorist organization in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2016, fighting against Ukrainian forces. The man denied the charge in court, claiming he had a relationship with a woman there at the time and was never involved in combat.

He also denied the charge of spying for Russia in Germany between October 2023 and April 2024, including planning arson attacks and sabotage against military infrastructure and important railway lines.

According to the investigation, his two co-defendants, who were also acquaintances, had supported him in these activities in recent weeks, leading the Federal Prosecutor's Office to charge them with espionage as well.​​​​​​​

The men denied the espionage charge during the trial, claiming they had only been joking and talking ironically. The Federal Prosecutor's Office, however, believes the main defendant has close ties to Russian intelligence services. It also stated that the other two men had very consciously chosen to act in this manner.