A German army reserve officer has been charged with espionage as he allegedly gave information to Russian intelligence services between 2014 and 2020, German federal prosecutors said on Friday.
The officer, referred to as Ralph G.., is suspected of providing information on German army reserves, civil defense, the impact of sanctions imposed on Moscow in 2014 and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
The defendant "was in contact with Russian intelligence through various persons no later than October 2014," prosecutors said.
By March 2020, the suspect allegedly forwarded to these contacts "documents and information on numerous occasions" relating to both the military reserve and operations. Alongside his role in the reserve, the suspect "belonged to various German business committees" through his profession.
He is also said to have shared "personal data of high-ranking members of the German military" and personalities from the business world, "including contact details", and in exchange for his services, "the defendant received invitations to events organised by Russian government agencies", prosecutors said.
Ralph G. is the latest in a string of suspected spying for Russia uncovered on German soil.
Russian scientist Ilnur Nagaev is currently on trial on charges of spying for Moscow while working at a German university. Nagaev, who was arrested last year, is accused of sharing information about the European Ariane space rocket program with the Russian foreign intelligence agency SVR.
In October 2021, a German citizen was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence for transmitting plans of parliament building floor plans to Russian intelligence agencies while working for a security company.
Last August, a former employee of the British embassy in Berlin was arrested on suspicion of passing documents to Russian intelligence.
Source: CNA
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