On 19 June 2024, the German police in Frankfurt am Main arrested three men from Ukraine, Armenia and Russia for allegedly collecting information for a foreign secret service, according to the German Attorney General at the Federal Court of Justice.
The threat of Russian intelligence grew in European countries after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with several cases of spying for Russia and China exposed.
The accused men were traveling in Germany on behalf of a foreign secret service to gather information on a Ukrainian individual who was staying in the country. As part of their activities, the accused scouted out a café in Frankfurt am Main on 19 June 2024, where the target person was supposed to be present, Attorney General reports.
The arrested individuals include Robert A., a Ukrainian citizen, Vardges I., an Armenian citizen, and Arman S., a Russian citizen.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office did not provide further details on the specific foreign secret service the accused are suspected of working for or the identity of the Ukrainian individual they were allegedly targeting.
The investigation is ongoing, and the accused will face legal proceedings in accordance with German law.
In April, an employee of the Germany’s far-right AfD party was among four people arrested on suspicion of espionage for China.
In the same month, the Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office arrested three Germans for allegedly spying and two German-Russian men who spied for Russia and planned acts of sabotage.
Related:
- NYT: Russia conducts sabotage operations across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine
- Assistant of German far-right AfD top candidate for EU elections arrested in China spy case
- EurActiv: Czechia warns of Russian intelligence threat in Europe after arrest of spies in Germany
- Russian think tank’s “relocant” pitch clashes with unmasked spy couple in Slovenia
- Reuters: Russia resorts to blackmail and bribery to recruit spies in Germany
