German accused in Kaliningrad pipeline sabotage amid spy claims

Many of the details provided by Russian media or government representatives are part of propaganda efforts. Such reports contribute to the information war waged by the Russian Federation.

- As proof of his alleged agent connections, a photo supposedly on his phone, allegedly showing him with Olaf Scholz, is being circulated. The risk of being accused of "diversionary intentions" or "espionage" by the FSB and KGB against any European travelling to Russia or Belarus remains high - warns Dr Michał Marek, a Polish expert on countering disinformation.

This is a comment on the recent news from Kaliningrad, which has just been engulfed in "spy mania." It started when the RIA Novosti agency and state television Rossiya 24 revealed that Russian services had detained Nikolai G., a 57-year-old resident of Hamburg with German citizenship. Supposedly, a few days ago, he was transporting liquid explosives from Poland to the Kaliningrad region.

According to the Federal Security Service, the substance was in a bottle, and the charge was constructed so that it was enough to place the bottle in the right spot, pull out the pin, and the explosion would occur with a delay, safe for the perpetrator.

The day after the arrest, Nikolai G. was said - according to Russian services - to have confessed that in March this year, he participated in sabotage by blowing up a gas transmission station in Kaliningrad. This incident resulted in a lack of gas supply in part of the city, provoked complaints from residents, and attracted the attention of authorities.

The Russians have not reported on whose behalf Nikolai G. was supposedly working. However, they claim this was his second trip from Germany through Poland to the Kaliningrad region. He reportedly admitted his goal was to organise diversionary activities at energy facilities.

Moreover, the FSB claims that G. had a cache in the city cemetery with components for making a bomb himself. Russian television, presenting materials from Russian services, reported that the "spy-bomber" had a photo on his phone with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This fact was particularly highlighted in reports on Telegram. Subsequently, the media initiated a "hunt" for other suspicious Germans.

In a popular Kaliningrad news service Klops, former East German Army Lieutenant Colonel Uwe Niemeyer appeared, who has lived in Kaliningrad since 1995 and received Russian citizenship in 2020.

- One should be especially cautious with those Russian Germans who left our country in difficult times and are now returning to the region. They could be ideal members of a fifth column. Law-abiding, disciplined, and orderly-loving, but in reality engaging in illegal and disruptive activities - the retired military officer argued.

- Their stereotypical justifications for returning to the homeland of our fathers are not a convincing motivation for me. They could be traitors. They speak Russian, adapt very quickly to our life, making them much more effective in their work - he explained.

The term "Russian Germans" refers to people who, citing their German origin, emigrated from the region and received German citizenship. As previously reported, according to data from the Polish border guard, this is the largest group of travellers crossing the border with the Kaliningrad region.

The media in Kaliningrad continue to report thoroughly on the "saboteur's" situation. In court, during a hearing regarding his arrest, he was shown locked in a cage.

"The man is suspected of committing a serious crime against public safety. He faces up to seven years in prison. During the investigation, it was determined that if he were free, he could hide or otherwise interfere with the investigation," the court in Kaliningrad communicated.

This is another case of a German being apprehended in recent months. The German authorities are aware of the actions being taken against their citizen and are distancing themselves from the Russian accusations. The topic of "hunts" for Western citizens is also present in the German media.