Federal Prosecutor says espionage operation aimed to pave the way for further Russian intelligence actions in Germany.
Three individuals in Germany have been charged with working for a Russian intelligence agency and may have been planning to assassinate a man, Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday.
The three men, arrested in a “particularly serious case” on June 19, 2024, in Frankfurt, were identified as Robert A., a Ukrainian citizen; Vardges I., an Armenian citizen; and Arman S., a Russian citizen. Their full names were not disclosed in line with German privacy regulations.
“The espionage operation presumably served to prepare future intelligence activities in Germany, possibly even leading to an assassination,” the prosecutor’s statement said.
According to the office, in early May 2024, Vardges I. was tasked by a Russian intelligence agency to spy on a man living in Germany who had fought in Ukraine’s armed forces following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
To carry out this mission, Vardges I. recruited Robert A. and Arman S., who allegedly attempted to lure the target to a meeting at a café in central Frankfurt to identify him and gather more information. However, since the man had previously been in contact with German police, no meeting ever took place, the prosecutor said, adding that all three men remain in custody.
The charges, filed on May 16, are the latest in a series of cases across Europe in which Ukrainians and other nationals have been accused of working on behalf of Russian intelligence services.
In May, German prosecutors said three Ukrainians were arrested in Germany and Switzerland on suspicion of agreeing to send packages containing explosive or incendiary devices from Germany to Ukraine, apparently at the behest of individuals acting for Russia.
In April 2024, two German-Russian men were arrested in Germany on suspicion of espionage, with one allegedly agreeing to carry out attacks on potential targets, including U.S. military facilities, in hopes of sabotaging aid to Ukraine, according to prosecutors.
Western officials have accused Russia and its agents of organizing dozens of attacks — from arson and sabotage to cyberattacks and espionage — since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has previously been accused of attempting to assassinate individuals in Germany linked to the war in Ukraine.
In July 2024, Western officials said a plot was uncovered to kill Armin Papperger, the CEO of defense company Rheinmetall, which supplies arms to Ukraine.
In 2019, Russian citizen Vadim Krasikov was convicted in Germany for murdering a Georgian national who had fought against Russian troops in Chechnya. Krasikov was sentenced to life in prison but was released as part of a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine in 2024.
In their ruling, German judges determined that Krasikov had acted on orders from Russian authorities, who provided him with a false identity, passport, and the resources needed to carry out the assassination.
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