Germany arrests suspected Russian spy accused of gathering Ukraine drone intelligence

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — German police officers are seen in Kehl, Germany, Sept. 16, 2024. (Joachim Herrmann/Reuters)

By Miranda Murray

BERLIN  -  German prosecutors on Wednesday arrested a German-Ukranian woman accused of spying for Russia by gathering information on drones meant for Ukraine at political events and through befriending former defence ministry staff, according to a statement.

Ilona W, whose surname was not shared due to German privacy laws, is accused of maintaining intelligence contacts with the Russian embassy in Berlin since at least November 2023.

Security services across Europe have warned of a growing threat from Russian intelligence agencies seeking to deter Western powers from backing Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF GATHERING DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE

Prosecutors said the suspect compiled dossiers on participants at political events and gathered details about defence industry sites, drone tests and planned drone deliveries to Ukraine. She then passed this information to her handler, identified as working for the Russian intelligence services.

On occasion, Ilona W helped her contact attend political events in Berlin under aliases in order to establish links useful to the intelligence service, prosecutors said.

The Russian embassy in Berlin did not respond to an emailed request for comment and calls were immediately dropped.

Ilona W also approached former defence ministry employees she knew personally as part of her information‑gathering efforts.

Prosecutors searched her home on Wednesday as well as those of two other suspects who were not arrested. 

TIES TO THE GERMAN MILITARY

Two former members of the German military are accused of disclosing information to the woman, a German defence ministry spokesperson said at a regular press conference on Wednesday. 

Investigators are examining whether a recently retired staff officer and a senior civil servant who left the service more than 15 years ago knowingly passed on information, the spokesperson said.

The military's counterintelligence service initiated a probe, which is still ongoing, into the officer after suspicions arose while he was still on active duty, the spokesperson added, declining to provide further details.

Prosecutors also said on Wednesday that a Russian and a German national were arrested on suspicion of supporting pro-Russian militia groups in eastern Ukraine. 

The prosecutors allege that the suspects organised deliveries of supplies to the "People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk", designated a foreign terrorist group.

($1 = 0.8546 euros)

 (Reporting by Miranda Murray and Kirsti Knolle Editing by Ludwig Burger and Ros Russell // REUTERS)