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German Foreign Ministry confirms summoning of Russian ambassador

Earlier, the German Public Prosecutor’s Office said that two people had been detained on suspicion of spying for Russia

BERLIN, April 18. /TASS/. The German Foreign Ministry has confirmed its move to summon Russian Ambassador Sergey Nechayev over the detention of two people suspected of working for Russian intelligence agencies, a ministry official told TASS.

"It’s true that today, the foreign minister ordered the ministry to summon the Russian envoy," the official said, confirming an earlier report by the Bild newspaper.

On Thursday, the German Public Prosecutor’s Office said that two people had been detained on suspicion of spying for Russia. The agency described them as "Russian-German citizens." Both are suspected of working for a foreign intelligence service. One of the suspects, identified as Dieter S., is also suspected "of conspiring to organize bomb and arson attacks, as well as of spying to carry out acts of sabotage and taking footage of military facilities, which created a security threat." Investigators believe that he "is in contact with a person linked to Russian intelligence agencies;" they have allegedly been discussing plans for potential subversive activities in Germany since October 2023. The acts of sabotage were allegedly supposed to help undermine Germany’s efforts to provide military support to Ukraine.

The other detainee, Alexander J., began assisting Dieter S. in March 2024. Dieter S. took photos and videos of military equipment’s movement and the transportation of military goods, allegedly providing the information to his contact. According to prosecutors, Dieter S. was a member of one of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s units between December 2014 and September 2016. In this regard, he is suspected of participating in a foreign terrorist organization and making preparations for a violent crime threatening state security. An operation to apprehend the two men was carried out in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth on Wednesday. Both are now in custody.

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