The ex-officer, described by prosecutors only as “54-year-old Thomas H.” told the court in Dusseldorf on the first day of his trial that he had passed on information to the Russian consulate in Bonn, explaining his motivation as a “desire to prevent nuclear war in Ukraine”.
“It was wrong, I admit that,” he told the court.
The defendant served as a captain at the Bundeswehr’s central information-logistics department, with particular responsibility for managing military equipment.
The charges against him include that in May 2023 he “approached the Russian consulate general in Bonn and the Russian embassy in Berlin and proposed collaboration.”
He was arrested in August last year in the western city of Koblenz.
Thomas H. admitted to offering his services as a spy but denied passing the Russians a CD containing sensitive technical data, as he is accused of by prosecutors.
During the same period, he reportedly established contact with the far-right party AfD (Alternative for Germany), which is opposed to sending Ukraine weapons to aid its fight against Russia.
If convicted, Thomas H. faces up to 10 years in prison.
The defendant served as a captain at the Bundeswehr’s central information-logistics department, with particular responsibility for managing military equipment.
The charges against him include that in May 2023 he “approached the Russian consulate general in Bonn and the Russian embassy in Berlin and proposed collaboration.”
He was arrested in August last year in the western city of Koblenz.
Thomas H. admitted to offering his services as a spy but denied passing the Russians a CD containing sensitive technical data, as he is accused of by prosecutors.
During the same period, he reportedly established contact with the far-right party AfD (Alternative for Germany), which is opposed to sending Ukraine weapons to aid its fight against Russia.
If convicted, Thomas H. faces up to 10 years in prison.
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