Germany charges military officer with spying for Russia
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Germany, one of the largest providers of military hardware to Ukraine, is a major target of Russian spying operations.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BERLIN – German prosecutors have charged an officer in the military procurement agency with attempting to pass secret information to Russian intelligence, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement on March 19.
The German national, whom the prosecutor’s office identified only as Thomas H., has been in custody since August 2023.
He is accused of repeatedly approaching Russia’s consulate in Bonn and embassy in Berlin from May 2023 on his own initiative to offer his cooperation.
Germany, one of the largest providers of military hardware to Ukraine, is a major target of Russian spying operations, which have grown in scale since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine,
On one occasion, Thomas H. handed over information obtained during the course of his work with the intention that it be passed to a Russian intelligence service, the federal prosecutor’s office said.
He was arrested in Koblenz, the procurement agency’s seat in western Germany, and his home and workplace were searched.
The nature of the information he attempted to pass to Moscow was not specified. REUTERS
