The Higher Regional Court of Munich has found three German citizens guilty of espionage for Russia. This is reported by Tagesschau.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty. The court found Dieter S., who has dual German and Russian citizenship, to be the leader of a group that was preparing attacks on German railway and military infrastructure. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
The court found two other defendants — Alexander J. and Alex D. — guilty and imposed suspended sentences of 12 and 6 months, respectively.
In addition, Dieter S. was found guilty of membership in a terrorist organization. He was accused of joining pro-Russian armed groups in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Germany officially classifies the so-called “DPR” as a terrorist organization.
Dieter S.’s defense claimed that his client was merely posing in military uniform as an actor, but the prosecutor’s office provided evidence that refuted this version. The investigation found that in 2014 he actively sought contacts with pro-Russian militant groups and was recruited by a unit controlled by the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
The case file includes his correspondence with the Russians, where Dieter S. wrote that “in my soul I am Russian”, and also asked to organize a corridor to Rostov for him to arrive at the Russian-Ukrainian border and join the militants to participate in the war against Ukraine. Dieter S. himself rejected all charges and stated that he had never fought as part of Russian armed groups.
He refused to comment on his possible participation in pro-Russian armed groups. His lawyer said in a written statement that his client had already given evidence to the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Higher Regional Court of Munich regarding his actions and statements.
