Germany expels Russian diplomat after suspect arrested in an espionage case

The German government on Thursday announced the expulsion of a Russian diplomat over a case in which a woman was arrested on suspicion of supplying information related to the war in Ukraine to an intelligence contact at Moscow’s embassy in Berlin.

The Foreign Ministry said in a social media post that “the German government doesn’t tolerate espionage in Germany, still less under the disguise of diplomatic status.” It said it summoned the Russian ambassador and told him it was expelling “the person in question who spied on behalf of Russia”.

The main suspect in the case, a German-Ukrainian dual citizen, was arrested in Berlin on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors said she had been in contact since at least November 2023 with a man at the Russian Embassy who worked for a Russian intelligence service.

They alleged that, on various occasions, she supplied him with information linked to the war in Ukraine. She allegedly helped with inquiries about defence industry locations, drone tests and planned drone deliveries to Ukraine, and turned to former employees in “the area of operations of the Defence Ministry” who were personal acquaintances.

The woman also occasionally helped her Russian Embassy contact visit political events in Berlin under aliases so that he could make contacts for Russian intelligence, prosecutors said.

The Defence Ministry said the investigation also involves two former German military employees, one of them a recently retired officer, who are suspected of disclosing information to the main suspect.