Military has raised the threat level of Russian sabotage against German troops and facilities.
Published 22 Oct 2026
German authorities have arrested a Ukrainian national on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Federal prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday that the suspect, identified as Vadym Y, was apprehended in Brandenburg, about 85 km west of Berlin.
Prosecutors reported that the suspect had been communicating with Russian intelligence through an intermediary since at least July 2025.
According to prosecutors, the suspect collected intelligence on the production of armored vehicles, ammunition, and explosives, as well as details on military personnel and defense installations at sites securing NATO’s eastern flank.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, attending the EU‑Western Balkans Summit in Montenegro, said he was “not surprised” by the espionage case.
The detention follows German accusations that Russia has carried out drone attacks as part of Moscow’s “shadow war” against the nation.
On Wednesday, Germany’s armed forces elevated the threat level of Russian sabotage against its troops and facilities to “significant,” the second‑highest rating on their internal threat scale, according to media reports.
The decision followed the discovery in mid‑September of a crashed drone laden with high explosives near Wunstorf Airbase in Lower Saxony, German outlets WDR and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.
The device resembled an unmanned aircraft used in a failed August attack on Leipzig/Halle airport. While the Leipzig incident targeted civilian cargo planes, investigators believe the Wunstorf drone was intended for a military aircraft, an internal military document shows.
The findings point to a broader pattern of suspected Russian reconnaissance, with drones observed over a missile‑defence site in Saxony‑Anhalt and a camouflaged camera uncovered filming a key railway station in Minden, North Rhine‑Westphalia.
BND chief Martin Jaeger told lawmakers this month that Russia’s undeclared “shadow war” against Germany and its allies is escalating and has “taken on a new, more dangerous character.”
“Germany is at risk of being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia,” he warned the intelligence oversight committee in the Bundestag.
Moscow has denied any involvement and continues to assert it is not engaged in sabotage or hybrid attacks on European countries.
