3 Spies Targeted Former Ukrainian Intelligence Officer in Germany, Court Says

Three spies arrested in June in Frankfurt am Main have been suspected of spying on a former Ukrainian intelligence officer, according to a ruling by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (BGH).

German news outlet Zeit, citing the ruling, said the suspects were citizens of Armenia, Ukraine and Russia tasked with collecting information on an individual from Ukraine in Germany on behalf of an unspecified foreign secret service. The court said the collected information was “highly likely” intended to prepare further intelligence operations in Germany.

Zeit said the unnamed, targeted individual was a former Ukrainian intelligence officer accused by Russia of committing war crimes against Russian troops.

“It cannot be ruled out that the ultimate aim was to kill the target person or kidnap him from Germany,” Zeit reported.

BGH was unable to determine the agency they worked for, but Zeit said “it is likely that it was Russian.”

BGH said the suspects attempted to lure the targeted individual with a job offer in Germany on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service by phone, but the targeted individual identified it as a fake offer through his contacts in Ukraine and contacted German police.

The targeted individual agreed to a meeting in a cafe, and the suspects were arrested when they left the cafe after the target did not show up. Authorities also found a GPS tracker in the suspects’ car they believed would have been attached to the target’s car.

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In April, a 54-year-old German officer who worked in the Bundeswehr office admitted to have spied on behalf of Russia due to what he called fear of a potential “nuclear escalation” in Ukraine.