The facts published by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf could have influenced the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war over the past year without exaggeration. It turned out that there was a man in the Bundeswehr who voluntarily contacted Russia to spy on its behalf. The details of this case are unexpected and even stunning.
The 54-year-old man had previously sympathized with the Left Party but decided to join the right-wing party “Alternative for Germany” at the beginning of the war. He applied for membership, and in July 2023, his candidacy was approved. He broke ties with his previous political affiliation due to fundamentally different views on the role and activities of the Bundeswehr from his own position.
What about TikTok
From that moment on, he became a subscriber of a pro-Russian influencer on the social media platform TikTok, whose videos he regularly watched. The blogger’s messages revolved around a popular narrative in Germany that the support of Ukraine by Europe would prompt Russia to use nuclear weapons imminently, with European countries becoming targets. This led the man to seriously fear such a scenario.
His fear compelled him to turn to the Russian consulate, which initiated the cooperation of the Bundeswehr captain with Russia. At that time, he was responsible for electronic warfare systems and had access to classified information.
The Price of Espionage
He provided the following data to the consulate:
– information on ammunition;
– details about aviation equipment.
The man hoped that this would help the Russian army gain an advantage in a complex political situation and achieve victory without resorting to its nuclear arsenal. The captain was most concerned about his family. In exchange for espionage, he hoped to receive information on when Russia would decide to use nuclear weapons so that he could evacuate his loved ones to a safe territory in time.
In court, he said that he truly regrets what he did, but claims that at that moment he was in a difficult mental state.
This case once again reminds us of how seriously Russia works on the information front, and understanding that the danger is greater than one can imagine.
