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A Ukrainian national was arrested in Brandenburg on Thursday on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe has announced.
The suspect is alleged to have used contacts within the European defence industry to obtain sensitive information. According to the Federal Prosecutor General's Office, Vadym Y. had been in contact with a Russian intelligence service via an intermediary since at least July 2025.
In connection with the war between Russia and Ukraine, he is said to have obtained militarily relevant information for the service from within Germany. This included, among other things, information on the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition and explosives, as well as personnel and military facilities at sites used to secure NATO's eastern flank.
While some of the information was publicly accessible, the suspect is said to have deliberately obtained other details by approaching individuals working in the European defence industry.
Investigation for acting as an intelligence agent
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is responsible for cases that affect Germany's national security and involve suspected espionage on behalf of a foreign power.
The case comes at a time when German security authorities are issuing increasingly stark warnings about suspected Russian espionage and sabotage activities.
Other suspected espionage cases in Germany
As recently as April 2026, Euronews reported on the arrest of a man in Berlin who is alleged to have passed information on Germany's military support for Ukraine, defence companies and military convoys to a Russian intelligence service. Potential targets for sabotage operations are also said to have been involved.
Another case concerns a 53-year-old Ukrainian from Attendorn in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice made public in October, he is accused of having monitored another Ukrainian in a refugee shelter on behalf of Russia's domestic intelligence service FSB and of having passed on information about that person's contacts via Telegram. In this case, charges have now been brought for acting as an intelligence agent.
The cases differ in their specific allegations. However, they illustrate that investigations by German authorities cover both the gathering of military information and the surveillance of individuals who might be of interest to Russia.
Presumption of innocence applies
In the current case in Brandenburg, the investigation is still ongoing. The precise background to the alleged gathering of information and any possible additional accomplices remain to be established. Until a final conviction is reached, the presumption of innocence applies to the accused.