German police arrested on Wednesday two men of dual German and Russian nationality, suspected of spying to commit sabotage against industries and military installations, and also against American barracks in this country, with the aim of "undermining the military support provided by Germany to “Ukraine against the war of Russian aggression,” as indicated yesterday by the Attorney General's Office in a statement.
The two men, identified as Dieter S. and Alexander J., were arrested in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth. According to Der Spiegel magazine, the American base at Grafenwöhr in Bavaria, where Ukrainian soldiers receive training in the use of American Abrams tanks, was in their sights.
The main suspect is Dieter S., 39 years old. The Prosecutor General's Office, based in Karlsruhe, considers that this Russian-German monitored possible targets and since October 2023 he maintained contact with people linked to the Russian secret services. “In this context, the accused declared to his interlocutor that he was willing to carry out attacks with explosives and incendiary elements, especially on infrastructure used in military and industrial facilities in Germany,” detailed the Prosecutor's Office. Dieter S. took photos and videos of military transports.
Starting in March of this year, he was also joined in the task by the Russian-German Alexander J., 37 years old. On Wednesday, police also searched the homes and workplaces of the two men, and found a firearm belonging to Dieter S.
The Prosecutor General's Office accuses both of "having worked for a foreign secret service in a particularly serious case", and Dieter S. is also accused of "conspiracy to cause explosions and arson, acting as an agent for sabotage" to put in endanger the security of military installations. Karlsruhe prosecutors also suspect that Dieter S. fought between December 2014 and September 2016 in an armed unit of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, classified by the Prosecutor's Office as a terrorist organization.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser praised the work of the security services and noted that “this is a particularly serious case of alleged activity by agents of Putin's criminal regime,” in a statement yesterday from Saarbrücken, in the south of the country. , in which he did not give more details and was referred to the Attorney General's Office. “We will continue to support Ukraine and will not be intimidated,” Faeser stressed.
The matter has triggered diplomatic consequences: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann warned that the allegations that the two detainees were preparing explosions and fires represent “a qualitative leap.” The minister said that “Germany is increasingly in the focus of Russia's attention,” and promised: “We are doing everything so that Putin's terrorist strategy has no chance in our country.”
Activities of the Russian secret services related to the aggression against Ukraine have also been discovered in neighboring Poland. The Prosecutor General's Office announced yesterday the arrest of an alleged collaborator of Polish nationality, who had been commissioned by Russian espionage to gather information about a location for a possible attack against the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Polish national Pawel K. was detained on Wednesday at an unspecified location in Poland, in cooperation with the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the Prosecutor's Office and the Ukrainian Security Services (SBU), according to a statement from the Polish State Attorney's Office. .
“His tasks included collecting and sending to the military intelligence of the Russian Federation information on the security of the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport,” the statement said. When Zelensky goes abroad, it is presumed that he uses this airport in eastern Poland. The Polish Prosecutor's Office maintains that the detainee declared himself willing to act as an agent of Russian military intelligence and that he established contacts with his representatives. “This was, among other reasons, to help the Russian special services plan a possible attack on the life of a foreign head of state, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky,” the note states, without further details.
