BERLIN: A Ukrainian national has been arrested in the German state of Brandenburg on suspicion of spying for Russia, a statement by federal public prosecutors said on Thursday. Germany has stepped up efforts to counter what it sees as escalating hybrid attacks from Moscow, deemed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz the biggest threat to his country's security.
The suspect, identified by prosecutors as Vadym Y under German privacy rules, had been in contact with a Russian secret service via an intermediary since at least July 2025, prosecutors said. He gathered military-related intelligence, including information on the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition and explosives, as well as personnel and installations involved in securing Nato's eastern flank. While some of the information was publicly available, other details were solicited from individuals in the European defence industry, they said.
Merz said the arrest did not surprise him and warned there would be more such cases. The suspect is due to appear before an investigating judge at Germany's Federal Court of Justice on Friday, when a decision will be made on whether he remains in pre-trial detention. — Reuters
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