Confessed Russian spy in German army sentenced to 3.5 years

A 54-year-old German army officer who confessed to spying for Russia has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison by a Dusseldorf court.

The man, a captain, acknowledged having betrayed sensitive military information to Russian intelligence. He also joined the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) around the same time he volunteered for Russian intelligence.

Prosecutors accused him of serving as an agent of a hostile and relentlessly aggressive foreign power.

German police officers arrested the man in Koblenz on August 9, and he has been in custody ever since. The incident was one of several Russian spy scandals that have rocked Germany in recent months and raised concerns about security in the country.

He faced a shorter prison sentence because the information he offered to the Russians was classified as official secrets. If he had also betrayed more sensitive state secrets, he could have faced harsher punishments, up to a life sentence.

The captain claimed he was driven by fear of nuclear escalation during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His defense lawyer argued that he began consuming fake news, propaganda and conspiracies on the social media platforms Telegram and TikTok during a difficult period of professional work.

“It’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life,” the defendant said in a final statement to the court. He said depression caused by chronic overwork impaired his rational thinking.

His defense lawyer said the decision came during a four-day period in which he destroyed everything he had built over a years-long career as a professional soldier: “Four days of betrayal in which he crossed the line. .”

At times, he was too far removed from reality, his defense lawyer said. He also noted that the man had abandoned the AfD party.