Germany detains two people for allegedly plotting sabotage to impede help to Ukraine and espionage for Russia

Prosecutors announced on Thursday that two German-Russian individuals had been detained in Germany on suspicion of spying; one of them had allegedly agreed to carry out assaults on possible targets, such as US military installations, with the intention of undermining help to Ukraine.

According to German privacy regulations, the two were apprehended on Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth, according to federal prosecutors. Their names are Dieter S and Alexander J.

They said that since October, Dieter S. had been in discussions with an individual connected to Russian intelligence about potential acts of sabotage in Germany, with the primary objective being to erode Germany’s military assistance to Ukraine. Prosecutors stated in a statement that the suspect said he was ready to launch bombing and arson attacks against German industrial and military facilities.

They said that he had intelligence on possible targets, including US military installations. Dieter S scouted out some of the places, took pictures and films of military equipment, and sent the material to his intelligence contact. Alexander J reportedly assisted him in doing so, commencing at the latest in March.

Dieter S was placed under arrest by a court awaiting the possibility of an indictment. Alexander J was scheduled to appear in court behind closed doors.

Dieter S is also accused of being a member of an armed rebel group supporting Russia in the Donetsk area of eastern Ukraine from December 2014 to September 2016.

With Russia beginning its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, Germany has emerged as the second-largest supplier of weaponry to the country, behind the United States. Germany is home to a sizable US military presence.