A former German army officer admitted this Monday to having spied for the benefit of Russia, explaining his act by his desire to avoid a nuclear escalation in the war in Ukraine, on the first day of his trial.
3 mins
Cases of espionage are increasing in Germany. Last week, a parliamentary assistant from the head of the list of the far-right AfD party was arrested and accused of having worked for China. Several cases concern Russia and do not spare the German security services. A reserve Bundeswehr officer was convicted a year and a half ago of spying for Moscow. A secret agent is currently on trial for spying for Russia. And since this morning, a German army officer has been on trial in Düsseldorf.
Read alsoNew espionage case for the benefit of China in Germany: the European Parliament in turmoil
Information sent to the Russian consulate in Bonn
Thomas H., 54, admitted before the Düsseldorf court to having transmitted information to the Russian consulate in Bonn. “ It was bad, I accept it “, he said in front of the judge. The man then worked with the rank of captain in the main IT and logistics department of the Bundeswehr, responsible in particular for the management of military equipment. The department, which has around 12,000 employees, has seen its work increase significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, with Germany becoming the second-largest provider of military aid to kyiv, behind the United States. -United.
Arrested in August 2023 in the city of Koblenz, the suspect “ approached the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian Embassy in Berlin and offered cooperation », According to the prosecution’s indictment read at the start of the hearing. He allegedly photographed, in addition to several saved computer files, old documents on the use of munitions and aeronautical technology. The man then left these documents in a mailbox at the consulate in Bonn, in addition to his contact details and allegedly offered to provide others. In the absence of a response, he would then have made other contacts.
Contacts with the extreme right
The accused admitted to having offered his services as a spy, but disputed having given a CD with sensitive technical data, as the prosecution accuses him of. There was no “ nothing serious » in the information transmitted, he said, emphasizing that he essentially wanted to prove his status as a Bundeswehr soldier.
Read alsoGermany: two suspected Russian spies arrested, Berlin points to “Putin’s criminal regime”
The former officer, who also made contact at the same time with the far-right AfD party which he asked to join, explained his action by his fear of a nuclear escalation in the war against Ukraine. In Germany, both the far right and the far left denounce this country’s deliveries of heavy weapons to kyiv to defend itself against the Russians. The accused said he wanted above all to protect his family.
Thomas H., who clearly distanced himself from his actions, also claims to have suffered from concentration and sleep problems at the time. He linked them to years of work overload and what he claims were side effects of Covid-19 vaccines.