Two people with dual citizenship – German and Russian – have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of preparing sabotage, including against US military facilities, with the aim of hindering military support for Ukraine, German prosecutors said, quoted by Reuters.
Authorities searched the homes and workplaces of the two suspects, who are accused of working for a foreign intelligence agency.
One of the suspects, identified by authorities as Dieter S., had since October 2023 discussed possible plots with a person linked to Russian intelligence, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Dieter S. was prepared to carry out bombing and arson attacks on military facilities, including those used by US forces, and also filmed military transport and equipment.
“Our security agencies prevented possible explosive attacks that were intended to sabotage our military aid to Ukraine,” Interior Secretary Nancy Feser said. “This is a particularly serious case of alleged espionage for the benefit of Putin’s criminal regime,” she added.
Germany has become one of the biggest providers of military aid to Kiev since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, as well as a prime target of Russian espionage operations, authorities say.
According to Spiegel magazine, among the facilities against which sabotage was planned was the Grafenwohr military base in the southern province of Bavaria, where Ukrainian soldiers are trained to use American Abrams tanks.
The Russian embassy in Berlin has not yet responded to requests for comment, Reuters noted.
“The actions were aimed in particular at sabotaging the military support provided by Germany to Ukraine against Russian military aggression,” German prosecutors said in a statement.
Prosecutors suspect that Dieter S., whose last name has not been released due to German privacy laws, fought with Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine from December 2014 to September 2016 – in the self-proclaimed se Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
The German Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador after today’s arrest, Reuters reported, citing Bild.
In a separate case last month, prosecutors charged an employee of Germany’s military procurement agency with trying to pass classified information to Russian intelligence.
The news of the arrests today coincided with the surprise visit of German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck to Ukraine.
Germany also issued an urgent appeal to countries to help bolster Ukraine’s air defenses as Russian forces continue strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, Reuters noted.
“We will continue to provide enormous support to Ukraine and will not allow ourselves to be intimidated,” Feser said.
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