A German army captain offers Russia military secrets. In court he confesses to “the biggest bullshit of his life”. The verdict has now been announced.
A German army officer has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in Düsseldorf for spying for Russia. The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court found the 54-year-old guilty of secret service agent activity on Monday, thereby complying with the sentence demanded by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The captain had made a confession at the Higher Regional Court. According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the professional soldier had “almost persistently offered himself to Russia” in order to give the Russian armed forces an advantage.
Espionage and membership in the AfD
The representative of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office criticized him for betraying sensitive military information. The 54-year-old acted as an agent for a state that had proven to be a ruthless aggressor.
The man had joined the AfD around the same time. If the officer had betrayed not only official but also state secrets, he would have faced life imprisonment.
The defense attorney said that in four days his client had destroyed everything he had built up over the years as a dutiful professional soldier: “Four days of betrayal, in which he crossed red lines. Four days of complete failure.”
The 54-year-old apparently radicalized himself via Telegram and Tiktok
During a demanding professional period, his media consumption gradually shifted to Telegram and Tiktok. There he was exposed to fake news and quotes taken out of context. At times he was clearly detached from reality. He has since left the AfD.
The captain claimed that he was driven by fear of a nuclear escalation of the war in Ukraine. “It is the biggest mess I have ever made in my life,” he said in his closing statement. Depression caused by chronic overwork had impaired his rational thinking.
Officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office arrested the man in Koblenz on August 9. He has been in custody since then.
Source: Stern
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