A Ukrainian man suspected of spying for Russia will stand trial in Germany
The Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against a 53-year-old Ukrainian citizen suspected of working for Russian intelligence. According to German investigators, the man had been gathering information in Germany since at least November 2025 about a Ukrainian who had fought in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and passing that information on to Russian intelligence. He was arrested on March 27, 2026, and the case is now set to go to trial.
In Germany, the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against a 53-year-old Ukrainian citizen suspected of spying for Russia. According to the prosecutor’s office, the man, from the town of Attendorn in the Sauerland region, may have been working for Russian intelligence since at least November 2025. The case is now set to be heard in court.
According to the German investigation, the man was gathering information about another person living in Germany. This person is a Ukrainian who, after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, took part in combat operations on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Investigators believe the suspect passed the gathered information to Russian intelligence. He allegedly continued to do so until his arrest on March 27, 2026.
The German prosecutor’s office also believes that the surveillance may not have been the ultimate goal of the operation. According to its version, the collected data could have been used to prepare further intelligence operations against this individual once he was in Germany. The prosecutor’s office did not specify what specific actions might have been planned.
What Is Known About the Arrest
The man was detained in the city of Hagen on March 27, 2026. The following day, he was brought before an investigating judge at the German Federal Supreme Court. The judge issued an arrest warrant and ordered the suspect to be taken into custody. He was charged with acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service under §99 of the German Criminal Code.
At that time, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office officially announced the case. The office stated that the man is a citizen of Ukraine and that the suspicion specifically concerns working for a foreign intelligence service. At the time of his arrest, the case was still under investigation. Now, the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced that it has gathered sufficient evidence to file charges and refer the case to court.
What is he suspected of?
According to the case file, the suspect was monitoring a man who was in Germany and had previously fought on the side of Ukraine. The prosecutor’s office has not disclosed the identity of this man. It is also not reported what specific information the suspect was gathering, how he was doing so, or through which channels he was transmitting the data to the Russian side.
At the same time, German law enforcement officials believe the story may have had further developments. According to their account, the information gathered could have been used to prepare new intelligence operations against targets in Germany. That is why the case is being treated not merely as information gathering, but as potential activity on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
What’s Next
After charges are filed, the case will be heard by a German court. However, the indictment itself does not mean that the man has been found guilty. At this stage, the case is based on the prosecution’s version of events and the materials of the investigation. The court must evaluate the evidence, hear from both sides, and reach its own decision. According to German authorities, the investigation is being conducted by the Hagen police.
For Germany, this case marks yet another chapter in investigations into possible operations by Russian intelligence services on its territory. In recent years, German law enforcement agencies have reported a number of suspected espionage cases linked to Russia. However, in this specific case, the prosecutor’s office has not yet alleged any other crimes besides possible activities on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
Thus, the 53-year-old Ukrainian from Attendorn is suspected of gathering information about a Ukrainian who fought in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and passing it on to Russian intelligence. The Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office has now filed charges against him, and a final decision on his guilt is to be made by the court. This was reported by ntv.
