Three men from Germany charged with spying for Russia.
The Federal Prosecutor‘s Office in Germany has charged three German-Russian citizens with spying for Moscow. This was announced by the office’s spokesperson on December 30.
The three suspects are Dieter S., Alexander J., and Alex D. They are believed to have gathered information about potential targets in Bavaria, including a US military base where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained.
The police think that the men wanted to sabotage railway tracks, buildings, and even commit violent attacks like bombings or arson. Their goal was likely to stop Germany from helping Ukraine.
One of the suspects, Dieter S., has ties with Russian intelligence services. He also fought for Russian-backed forces in Ukraine between 2014 and 2016. He was already charged with this crime in October.
The two other men were arrested in April but later released on bail without explanation.
There have been warnings that Russia could launch a hybrid attack on NATO countries, which would mean sabotage or other forms of attacks rather than a traditional military invasion. This week, a high-ranking official from NATO warned that such an attack could cause many casualties.
In another incident, the authorities in Finland seized a tanker carrying Russian oil because they suspected it had cut an underwater cable connecting Finland and Estonia.