German crackdown thwarts Russia's sabotage plans against Ukraine aid
The delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine has become one of the targets of Russian intelligence services. German special forces arrested two people in Bavaria who were monitoring military factories and an American base where Ukrainian tank crews were being trained. They also planned attacks on military transport routes.
The main defendant is 39-year-old German and Russian citizen Dieter S., and his accomplice is 37-year-old Alexander J., who also has dual citizenship and is an agent of Russian intelligence - reports "Der Spiegel".
They planned to blow up transport routes
According to the investigation, since October 2023, Dieter S. has been discussing sabotage actions in Germany with contacts from Russian special services. They also planned arson and attacks on military transport routes and defence companies as well as industrial facilities. The ultimate goal of the planned attacks was to undermine German support for Ukraine.
Investigators also found that Dieter S. was involved in reconnaissance and photographing American military facilities in Germany. He was then supposed to pass the relevant photos to his Russian clients. The alleged spy was assisted by 37-year-old Alexander J.
According to "Der Spiegel," the spies also monitored American military facilities in Germany, including the base in Bavarian Grafenwöhr, where Americans train Ukrainians in handling Abrams tanks.
Increased activity of Russian spies
Dieter S. is well-trained: between 2014-2016, he was a member of the "Donetsk People's Republic militia." Since the DPR militia is considered a terrorist organization in Germany, Dieter S. was also charged with belonging to a foreign terrorist organization.
This is not the first case of Russian saboteurs' actions in EU countries. Last year, a spy group was detected in Poland, whose members collected information on weapon deliveries to Ukraine. As reported by Polish intelligence in November, the tasks of 16 people included "identification of military facilities and critical infrastructure, tracking trains transporting Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid, and organising their disasters".
In April this year, Czech transport minister Martin Kupka told the "Financial Times" that Russia had made "thousands of attempts" to disrupt rail services in the Czech Republic over the last two years.
