German prosecutors accuse German-Russian citizens of being willing to “carry out explosive and incendiary attacks” against US military facilities in the country.
Germany arrested two dual German-Russian nationals on suspicion that they were planning sabotage attacks on US military facilities in the country to undermine Western military support for Ukraine.
German prosecutors said Thursday that the two men, identified as Dieter S and Alexander J, were arrested a day earlier in the city of Bayreuth, in the southeastern state of Bavaria, after their homes and workplaces were searched on suspicion. of “having worked for a foreign company.” Intelligence service”.
They said in a statement that Dieter was in contact with an interlocutor linked to the Russian secret service and exchanged the information collected.
Alexander began helping him starting in March 2024, prosecutors added.
Dieter's secret communication began in October last year and he was prepared to “carry out explosive and incendiary attacks” against military infrastructure and industrial sites in Germany, including US military installations.
Dieter and Alexander allegedly scouted several targets, taking, among other things, photographs and videos of military transports and goods, which were transmitted to the Russian contact.
According to Der Spiegel, a German magazine, the facilities included the Grafenwoehr military base in Bavaria, where Ukrainian soldiers receive training to use American Abrams tanks.
German authorities said Dieter was active in eastern Ukraine between December 2014 and September 2016 as a fighter in an armed unit of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), a Moscow-backed breakaway region of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia. in 2022, and that he possessed a firearm in this context.
Dieter faces an additional charge of membership in “a foreign terrorist organization” for his activities in Ukraine.
The arrests come amid intense fighting, more than two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Germany one of the largest suppliers of military aid to Ukraine.
“Our security authorities have prevented possible explosive attacks that were aimed at and undermining our military assistance to Ukraine,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
“It is a particularly serious case of alleged espionage activity for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's criminal regime.
The announcement of the arrests on Thursday coincided with a surprise trip to Ukraine by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck to offer further support.
Habeck is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly lamented the lack of strong air defenses as Russian attacks increasingly target energy infrastructure.
