UPDATE - Germany detains Ukrainian man for allegedly spying on military industry, bases for Russia
- Ukrainian national suspected of gathering military data on NATO’s eastern flank, European arms production
Loading…
Loading…
- Ukrainian national suspected of gathering military data on NATO’s eastern flank, European arms production
ADDS MERZ’S REMARKS, SPIEGEL’S REPORT
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - German authorities detained a Ukrainian national on suspicion of working for a Russian intelligence service, prosecutors said Thursday.
Vadym Y. was detained in the eastern state of Brandenburg and is strongly suspected of having acted for a foreign intelligence service, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office announced.
According to prosecutors, he had been in contact with a Russian intelligence service through an intermediary since at least July 2025, and gathered militarily relevant information from Germany.
The material included details on the production of armored vehicles, ammunition, and explosives, as well as information on personnel and military facilities at sites securing NATO’s eastern flank, the statement said.
Some of the data was publicly available, while other information was obtained by deliberately cultivating contacts in the European arms industry, prosecutors alleged.
The detention is the latest in a series of recent investigations into suspects accused of gathering intelligence for Russia in Germany, as tensions between Berlin and Moscow have escalated in recent months.
Merz says spy case comes as no surprise
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters during his visit to Montenegro that the case did not come as a surprise.
“I can only say: it does not surprise me. We will likely see more such cases in the coming months and years,” he said at a news conference, adding that Germany is increasingly a target of intensive espionage activity.
“In that sense, it is a success that this case was uncovered today. But let us not delude ourselves: the activities of Russian intelligence services in Germany remain at a consistently high level,” he added.
- Spiegel links suspect to GRU
The Der Spiegel news magazine reported that investigators believe Vadym Y. maintained ties to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU.
Specialists from the counterintelligence unit of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, uncovered the alleged agent, according to the magazine.
Spiegel said surveillance showed he collected details on armored-vehicle, ammunition and explosives production, as well as personnel and military facilities on NATO’s eastern flank. He also showed interest in the Bundeswehr’s Armored Brigade 45, which is being permanently deployed to Lithuania.
Ayhan Şimşek