BERLIN, April 18. /TASS/. The German Foreign Ministry did not present any evidence in the case of detained espionage suspects to Russia’s ambassador Sergey Nechayev. As the Russian embassy in Berlin said, the Russian side for its part made it clear that "no unfriendly actions against Russia will remain without consequences."
"On April 18, 2024, Russia’s ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry, where he heard a protest over the detention in Bayreuth (Bavaria) of two German citizens who allegedly also have Russian citizenship," the statement reads.
"No evidence testifying to the said plans of the detainees or their possible connections with representatives of Russian organizations was presented," the embassy said. "We consider this demarche as a blatant provocation aimed at fomenting in Germany the spy mania, which is already blown out of proportion, fueling anti-Russian sentiment and further ruining Russian-German relations, and justifying the German authorities’ policy of unbridled militarization and beefing up Ukraine’s military muscle with weapons and equipment."
The Russian embassy has called attempts to probe into the alleged involvement of Russian special services in the development of rumored plans for attacks on military facilities in Germany "absurd and ridiculous."
"We see them as a poorly disguised attempt to divert the attention of the German public from the high-profile scandal over the leaks to the public space of discussions by high-ranking officers of the Bundeswehr about the possibility of strikes against civilian infrastructure facilities in Russia," the statement reads.
The embassy demanded that the German Foreign Ministry immediately provide consular access to the detainees, if they are indeed Russian citizens.
German prosecutors’ suspicions
On Thursday, the German Prosecutor General's Office announced the detention of two men on the suspicion of spying for Russia. The prosecutor’s office referred to them as "German-Russian citizens." Both are suspected of having connections with a foreign intelligence service.
One of the detainees, Dieter S., is also suspected of participation in a plot for a bomb attack and an arson, espionage with the aim of committing sabotage and of filming of military facilities. According to the prosecutor’s office, he was in touch with a person linked to a Russian secret service and allegedly discussed with him possible acts of sabotage in Germany since October 2023. Supposedly they were to help thwart Germany's efforts to support Ukraine militarily. Another detainee, Alexander J., is said to have been assisting him since March 2024.
Dieter S. reportedly photographed and videoed the movement of military equipment and the transportation of military equipment and allegedly passed the information to a contact person. According to the prosecutor's office, between December 2014 and September 2016, Dieter S. was a member of one of the military units of the Donetsk People’s Republic. He is suspected of participation in a foreign terrorist organization, as well as in preparations for a violent crime that poses a threat to state security. The detention was carried out the day before in the city of Bayreuth (the federal land of Bavaria). Both men are under arrest in a pre-trial detention center.