On the first day of the trial in Düsseldorf, a former German army soldier accused of spying for Russia admitted to handing over information but claimed he did so to avoid escalating the war in Ukraine. The 54-year-old man, identified only as Thomas to protect his privacy under German laws, worked in the IT and logistics service of the German army and confessed to passing information to the Russian consulate in Bonn.
Despite admitting his wrongdoing, Thomas stated that his intentions were aimed at preventing further escalation in Ukraine. This trial is just one of several cases of alleged spies uncovered in Germany since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The prosecution alleges that the accused approached the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Moscow embassy in Berlin in May 2023, offering to collaborate.
The defendant photographed various computer files and weapons manuals, which he then transferred to a Russian intelligence service. He was apprehended in August 2023 in Koblenz, a central German city. The court hearings are expected to continue until June, and the former soldier faces a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
