Two men have been arrested in Germany accused of spying for Russia and trying to undermine German support for Ukraine, prosecutors and politicians said on Thursday.
The two German-Russian nationals, identified only as Dieter S and Alexander J due to strict German privacy laws, were taken into custody on Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth, the federal attorney general’s office said.
“Our security authorities prevented possible explosive attacks intended to undermine our military assistance to Ukraine,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said after the arrests, describing it as a particularly serious matter.
The older of the two, Dieter S, is charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion and to commit arson.
He is accused of exchanging information about possible acts of sabotage in Germany with a person linked to a Russian intelligence service since at least October last year.
Dieter S allegedly told his interlocutor that he was prepared to carry out explosives and arson, mainly on military infrastructure and industrial sites in Germany.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, he collected information about potential targets, including facilities of the US armed forces.
Dieter S is said to have explored and photographed possible targets, such as military transports.
The second suspect, Alexander J, is suspected of helping him from March 2024 at the latest.
According to prosecutors, Dieter S is also strongly suspected of joining an armed unit of the Donetsk People’s Republic, an entity in Russia-annexed eastern Ukraine, which Germany classifies as a foreign terrorist organization.
The two Russian-born men reportedly have dual German and Russian citizenship. Detectives searched their homes and workplaces in the Bayreuth region.
After the arrests, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock summoned the Russian ambassador, although it was not clear when the meeting would take place.
Interior Minister Faeser said Germany “will continue to provide Ukraine with massive support and will not allow us to be intimidated.”
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told dpa: “We know that the Russian power apparatus is concentrating on our country.”
He called the arrests “another important investigative success” in the fight against the Kremlin’s sabotage and espionage activities.
