Germany Arrests Ukrainian Suspected of Spying for Russia

Germany has arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of spying for Russia on military supplies and planning.

The man, identified as Vadym Y., was arrested in the German state of Brandenburg after starting to work with Russian intelligence via a middleman in July 2025, according to DW on Thursday.

Russian independent outlet Astra claims the man is 53.

The man allegedly gathered intelligence on “the production of armored vehicles, ammunition, and explosives, as well as information on personnel and military facilities at locations intended to secure NATO’s eastern flank,” according to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspect reportedly gathered intelligence via open-source channels and solicited help from “individuals from the European arms industry.”

“Some of the information was publicly available; for other information, the accused specifically recruited individuals from the European arms industry,” the office’s press release says.

The court is set to decide on the man’s pre-trial detention on Friday, it adds.

“Significant” espionage threat level

Berlin raised the sabotage level from Russia against its military to “significant” for the first time on Thursday.

The classification, reportedly triggered by a crashed drone carrying high explosives near the Wunstorf air base in mid-September, is the second-highest level on the internal threat scale of the German military.

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In September, Berlin said Russia was responsible for the attempted drone attack at the Leipzig airport in August.

An explosives-laden drone was also discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used for military supplies at the airport in eastern Germany, a key hub for NATO and Kyiv.

In September, Berlin said it has uncovered 165 suspected sabotage cases and 747 suspicious drone incidents nationwide during the first eight months of the year. In April, German authorities also arrested a Ukrainian and a Latvian national on suspicion of preparing sabotage activities.

European agencies have attributed the cases to heightened Russian sabotage attempts to disrupt Europe’s support for Ukraine.

Berlin also approved plans to close the Russian House, a prominent state-run cultural institution in Berlin, amid concerns that Moscow could use the facility to cover intelligence operations, though the closure would not occur until July 2027, when the contract expires.