- Allegedly, unidentified individuals were caught surveilling a Ukrainian military official.
The Three suspects, apprehended in June by the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt am Main, were suspected of spying activities against a Ukrainian ex-military intelligence officer living in Germany. The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that this was the objective. The intel these men were supposed to gather could potentially serve as a foundation for further intelligence operations within Germany. There's a possibility that the ultimate aim was to either eliminate or abduct the target.
The trio, consisting of a Ukrainian, an Armenian, and a Russian citizen, were accused of working for a foreign intelligence service in Germany. While it's yet unclear which intelligence service was involved, "there's a high likelihood of a Russian intelligence service at play."
The target is a former Ukrainian armed forces officer who was once employed by the military intelligence service in Ukraine. Russian media alleged that he was implicated in war crimes, specifically the killing of Russian soldiers taken prisoner. By spring 2024, this individual became the "object of spying activities by a foreign intelligence service in Germany."
Meeting in Frankfurt Café
Initially, an individual called "J." made a phone offer for the target to join the Ukrainian domestic intelligence service in Germany. He agreed but later found out through his contacts that this offer wasn't genuine. He then reported the recruitment attempt to the German police.
Despite this, the target kept communicating with "J." and agreed to meet him in a Frankfurt café. It was supposed to be a three-man team that included the suspects apprehended in June who were to join this meeting. When the target failed to show up at the designated meeting spot, the three left the café. Shortly after, they were apprehended by officers from the Hessian State Criminal Police. In their vehicle, investigators found a GPS tracking device intended to be attached to the target's vehicle.
The apprehended suspects were revealed to have links with the Secret Service they were allegedly working for. This information came to light during the investigation following their arrest in Frankfurt.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the Secret Service under suspicion was closely associated with the Russian intelligence services, adding another layer of complexity to the case.
