German army officer convicted of spying for Russia

A German military officer has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for spying for Russia.

The man, identified only as Thomas H, was a captain in the Army's procurement office when he contacted the Russian Embassy in Berlin and passed on secret military information.

German police arrested him in the city of Koblenz in August and accused him of sharing photographs of munitions training systems and aviation technology.

The 54-year-old admitted in a Düsseldorf court on Monday to passing information to Russia, saying it was a “stupid idea” and that he regretted his actions.

“It’s the biggest mess I’ve ever made in my life,” he told the court.

Prosecutors said the man spontaneously approached the Russian embassy in Berlin and the consulate in Bonn and “almost constantly offered himself to Russia.”

They said he photographed sensitive military files and left information in a mailbox in the Bonn consulate building.

In a final statement, the man said he contacted the embassy after becoming concerned about the risk of nuclear war caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He added that he was particularly concerned that Germany's supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine could draw it into the conflict. According to government figures, Berlin supplied Ukraine with around 6.6 billion euros worth of military equipment in 2022 and 2023. This included 40 Leopard 1 tanks and 100 infantry fighting vehicles.

The man claimed that chronic overwork had impaired his ability to think critically about his actions.

His lawyer said he was influenced by a stream of pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation he was consuming on TikTok and Telegram at the time. He pointed out that his client had also joined the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

He added that the decision was made over a four-day period “during which [his client] red lines crossed.

Although prosecutors said the leaks revealed sensitive military information, they noted that he did not disclose state secrets, an act that would have carried a much harsher life sentence.

The trial comes as numerous Russian espionage cases make headlines in Germany.

In April, two men with dual Russian-German citizenship were arrested, accused of spying on American military bases in Germany where Ukrainian soldiers were training.

Since December, a German domestic intelligence employee, Carsten L, has been on trial for transmitting classified data to Russian agents.

And in February 2023, a former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin was sentenced to 13 years in prison for passing large amounts of sensitive information to the nearby Russian embassy.

The cases have sparked a debate over whether security measures in Germany are strict enough. The government has admitted that more cases could come to light.

In a recent television interview, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said Germany was a target for foreign powers. He added that in the coming months more spies would likely be “unmasked.”