German intelligence services detain Russian agents planning sabotage at military facilities
Germany detained alleged Russian agents who were planning a series of sabotage attacks on military facilities in the interests of Russian special services.
This was reported by the German edition of Spiegel.
The publication learned from investigators that on April 17, special police forces conducted an operation to detain alleged agents in Bayreuth, Bavaria.
Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel reportedly arrested two suspects who allegedly planned a series of sabotage attacks in Germany in the interests of an unnamed Russian intelligence service.
Sabotage and espionage
The main defendant is a 39-year-old Russian of German descent, Dieter S. from Bavaria. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of working for foreign intelligence, planning sabotage operations, and “filming” sensitive military facilities.
Investigators are convinced that Dieter S. Since October 2023, he has been interacting with contacts of the Russian special services regarding sabotage operations in Germany. He agreed to set fires and plant explosives at military infrastructure, defense enterprises and industrial facilities.
One of the targets of the saboteurs was the transportation routes used to transport military cargo. The purpose of the planned attacks was to undermine German support for Ukraine.
According to the investigation, Dieter S. He also scouted and photographed US military installations in Germany. He sent the images to his Russian contacts.
Working alongside the suspected spy was a 37-year-old Russian of German descent, Alexander J., who the Federal Prosecutor’s Office now also accuses of being a foreign intelligence agent. He was also arrested in Bayreuth on Wednesday.
According to the publication, the detainees were spying on US military facilities in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria. There is, among other things, an important military training ground where the US Army trains Ukrainian military, in particular, crew members of Abrams tanks.
Terrorism and war in Ukraine
The suspected main perpetrator is Dieter S. is known to the German security authorities: between 2014 and 2016, a Russian of German descent took part in hostilities in eastern Ukraine in the ranks of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
Pro-Russian separatist groups are classified in Germany as a terrorist organization, so Dieter S. is also accused of membership in a terrorist organization and preparation of violent acts.
