On Thursday, October 30, a Munich court sentenced a German–Russian national to six years imprisonment for spying for Moscow and plotting sabotage acts to undermine Germany’s support for Ukraine.
The suspect, named as Dieter Schmidt, was found guilty of helping to plan attacks on railway lines and military infrastructure in Germany, allegedly on behalf of Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors had accused Schmidt of scouting targets for potential attacks, including U.S. military bases, a loading station and a tool manufacturing company. He allegedly took photos and videos of sites that he passed on to a Russian intelligence contact.
Handing down the verdict, Judge Jochen Boesl declared
We have come to the conclusion that the charges are essentially accurate.
Schmidt was also found guilty of membership of the self–proclaimed “People’s Republic of Donetsk,” a pro–Russian militia in eastern Ukraine.
The espionage case is one of a growing number linked to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
