Germany charges 3 people with spying for Russia, potentially with intent to kill

BERLIN, Germany -- Three radical successful Germany were charged with moving for 1 of Russia's quality agencies and could person been plotting to termination a man, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

The 3 men arrested successful the “particularly superior case” connected June 19, 2024 successful Frankfurt were identified arsenic Robert A., a Ukrainian citizen; Vardges I., an Armenian national; and Arman S., a Russian citizen. Their afloat names weren’t released successful enactment with German privateness rules.

“The spying cognition presumably served to hole further quality operations successful Germany, perchance adjacent starring to killing,” the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said.

German prosecutors said astatine the opening of May 2024, Vardges I. received an bid from a Russian quality bureau to spy connected a antheral surviving successful Germany who fought successful Ukraine's equipped forces aft Russia's full-scale penetration successful February 2022.

To bash this, Vardges I. recruited Robert A. and Arman S., who are accused of trying to lure the antheral to a gathering successful a cafe successful downtown Frankfurt with the purpose of identifying him and gathering further accusation astir him. Because the antheral had antecedently been successful interaction with German police, nary gathering ever took place, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said, adding that the 3 men stay successful custody.

The charges against the men, filed May 16, are the latest successful a bid of cases crossed Europe wherever Ukrainians and different nationals are accused of moving connected behalf of Russia’s quality services.

In May, German prosecutors said three Ukrainians were arrested successful Germany and Switzerland connected suspicion of agreeing to nonstop parcels containing explosive oregon incendiary devices from Germany to Ukraine, seemingly astatine the behest of radical acting for Russia.

In April 2024, 2 German-Russian men were arrested successful Germany connected suspicion of espionage, 1 of them accused of agreeing to transportation retired attacks connected imaginable targets including U.S. subject facilities successful hopes of sabotaging assistance for Ukraine, prosecutors said.

Western officials person accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks ranging from arson and sabotage to cyberattacks and espionage since Moscow’s penetration of Ukraine.

Russia has antecedently been accused of trying to termination radical successful Germany who person a transportation to the warfare successful Ukraine.

In July 2024, Western officials said a crippled was uncovered to termination Armin Papperger, CEO of defense institution Rheinmetall which provides weapons to Ukraine.

In 2019, a Russian national, Vadim Krasikov, was convicted successful Germany of sidesplitting a Georgian national who had fought Russian troops successful Chechnya. Krasikov was sentenced to beingness imprisonment, but was released arsenic portion of a captive speech betwixt Russia and Ukraine successful 2024.

At his sentencing, German judges said Krasikov had acted connected the orders of Russian authorities, who gave him a mendacious identity, passport and the resources to transportation retired the killing.