The federal prosecutor’s office said the three were accused of working for one of Russia’s intelligence news agencies and may have planned to kill the man.
Three men arrested in Frankfurt on June 19th last year in a “particularly serious incident” were identified as Robert A, a Ukrainian citizen. Vardges I., Armenian citizen. Ahman S., a Russian citizen.
Their full names have not been released in line with German privacy rules.
“Operation spying could have helped prepare further intelligence news in Germany, and perhaps even led to murder,” the prosecutor’s office said.
German prosecutors said in early May 2024 that the Balzys countries had received orders from the Russian intelligence agency to spy on German men who fought Ukrainian troops in February 2022 after a full-scale Russian invasion.
To do this, Vardges I. recruited Robert A. and Erman S. Robert A. and Erman S. have been accused of trying to lure men to a meeting at a cafe with the aim of identifying him at a cafe in downtown Frankfurt and gathering more information about him.
The man had previously been in contact with German police, so no meeting was held, the prosecutor’s office added that the three men were in custody.
A set of cases
The charges against the man, filed on May 16, are the latest in a series of incidents across Europe where Ukrainians and other citizens have been accused of working on behalf of Russia’s Intelligence Reporting Agency.
In May, German prosecutors said three Ukrainians had been arrested in Germany and Switzerland on suspicion of agreeing to send parcels containing explosive or burnt-down devices to Ukraine at the request of those acting towards Russia.
In April 2024, two German Russian men were arrested in Germany and Germany on suspicion of espionage. One of them was accused of agreeing to carry out an attack on potential targets, including US military facilities, in the hopes of blocking Ukrainian aid, prosecutors said.
Western officials have accused Russia and the staging of numerous attacks on cyber attacks and spies from arson and sabotage since the Moscow invasion.
Russia has previously been accused of trying to kill German people with ties to the war in Ukraine.
In July 2024, Western officials said a conspiracy was revealed to kill Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, a defense company that provides weapons to Ukraine.
In 2019, Russian citizen Vadim Krasikov was convicted in Germany for killing a Georgian citizen who fought Russian forces in Chechnya.
Krashikov was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
In his ruling, a German judge said Krashikov acted on the orders of Russian authorities, and he gave him a false identity, passport and resources to carry out the murder.
