Armenian and two others charged in Germany over spying for Russian intelligence
German prosecutors filed charges on Wednesday against three people accused of spying for a Russian intelligence service.
The trio allegedly spied on a former soldier for Ukraine in Germany, with the potential intention of killing him.
The charges were filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, which must now decide whether to schedule a trial.
The accused include a Russian national, a Ukrainian and an Armenian.
The Armenian allegedly received an order from a Russian intelligence service to spy on a man who had fought for the Ukrainian armed forces.
The target was reportedly a former officer who worked for Ukrainian military intelligence and was wounded in the conflict.
He was accused in Russian media of having committed war crimes by participating in the killing of captured Russian soldiers.
The soldier alerted German police after he was invited to a meeting in a café in Frankfurt. The suspects were detained and have since been in custody.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office suspects that the spying operation was meant to prepare further intelligence operations in Germany. They believe that the target may even have been intended to be killed.
Germany has detained several people accused of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence in recent months.
Last week, three German-Russian men went on trial in Munich, accused of plotting acts of sabotage on military infrastructure and railway lines.
