Three men go on trial in Germany, accused of spying for Russia by tailing a former Ukrainian soldier in a potential assassination plot.
FRANKFURT: Three men go on trial in Germany on Tuesday, accused of spying for Russian intelligence services.
Prosecutors allege the trio tailed a former Ukrainian soldier for a potential assassination plot.
The alleged ringleader, an Armenian partially identified as Vardges I., recruited a Ukrainian and a Russian man.
They allegedly tried to lure the former soldier to a Frankfurt cafe last year.
“The spying operation presumably served to prepare further intelligence missions in Germany, possibly including the killing of the target,” prosecutors said.
The target became suspicious and contacted police, leading to a sting operation.
When the soldier did not show up at the cafe, which was under surveillance, the three men drove off.
They were later stopped and arrested by police commandos.
Police found cash, several passports and GPS tracking devices in their possession.
German media reported the former soldier knew he was on a Russian “death list”.
Moscow had accused him of war crimes, including the alleged execution of Russian soldiers.
The three defendants have been remanded in custody since their arrest.
The case comes with European governments on high alert over alleged Russian espionage.
The state of alert has increased since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in October accused Russia of trying to destabilise Europe.
“It is Russia that is trying to destabilise us in Germany and in Europe ever more ruthlessly with hybrid methods of war,” Merz said.
That same month, a Munich court sentenced three men for helping plan attacks on infrastructure.
German authorities have repeatedly warned about agents recruited via social media.
They are tasked with taking photos of key industrial and military sites.
So-called low-level agents are also thought to have been behind parcel explosions last year.
Explosions occurred at two DHL logistics facilities in Germany and Britain.
