Processes: “Comrade scouts”? – Trio denies Russia espionage

It is about planned sabotage files-and spying on military transports for Ukraine aids: In the process of allegations of espionage against three German Russians before the Higher Regional Court (OLG) Munich, the accused perform an activity for the Russian secret service. “He is not a spy, he is not a saboteur,” said the defender of the main accused and presumed head of the trio from Bayreuth. “He thought he could act a bit and make one on spy.”

A similar case had only become known last week: a total of three Ukrainians had been arrested in Germany and Switzerland, which suspects the federal prosecutor’s office to have been recruited in Germany as agents for sabotage in Germany.

In the current process in Munich, the 4-year-old main argument was argued and his lawyer: Because he noticed that he was shadowed by investigators after a few Facebook posts on the Ukraine war, he hoped to be able to hire for German authorities as a V-man and thus earn money. The authorities should think that he spies on Russia and then reject him. In fact, there have never been any connections to the Russian secret service.

The two co -accused known of the man also denied the allegations of rigoro. You would only have talked privately with him. “Our news was often ironic, exaggerated or joking,” said the 44 -year -old co -accused. They are “part of a private, not serious situation”.

“Comrade scouts”?

He emphasized that he once sent the 40-year-old a video of a military transport from a military transport. He knew that his acquaintance was interested – and therefore filmed the transport for him. The whole thing was meant “like a meme”. The man described the fact that a passage from Russian communication with “Comrade scouts” was reproduced as a translation error.

The federal prosecutor, on the other hand, accuses men of having spotted military facilities out into Germany until April 2024 and, among other things, planned arson attacks and sabotage campaigns against military infrastructure and railway lines.

It is about code words for military goods that are said to have observed the alleged spies during transport. The defendants are also said to have collected information about an oil refinerie in Bavaria and about the military training area of ​​the US forces in Grafenwöhr in the Upper Palatinate. They are said to have even forged plans for explosives on buildings or infrastructure that are used to support Ukraine in the war against the attacker Russia.

Head of the trio is said to have fought in eastern Ukraine

The head of the trio is said to have fought as part of an armed terrorist association between 2014 and 2016 in eastern Ukraine – a accusation that he also rejected in court. At that time he had a relationship with a woman there and was never involved in warlike actions.

The case had hit high waves about a year ago when the Bavarian police arrested two of the men in the Bayreuth area. By December 23 of this year, more than 40 negotiation dates are planned.