Three and a half years in prison
Spying for the Kremlin: German officer sentenced
A former captain in the German army has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for spying for Russia. At the start of the trial before the Higher Regional Court in North Rhine-Westphalia, the man largely admitted to the charges.
On Monday, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court found the 54-year-old guilty of secret service agent activities, thereby complying with the sentence demanded by the German Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.
Joined the AfD
According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, the professional soldier had "almost penetratingly served" Russia in order to give the Russian armed forces an advantage. In doing so, he had betrayed militarily sensitive information, the representative of the federal prosecutor's office had criticized. The 54-year-old had acted as an agent for a state that had proven to be a ruthless aggressor. The man had joined the AfD around the same time. There are also accusations of espionage against representatives of the party.
If the officer had betrayed not only official but also state secrets, he could have even faced life imprisonment. The defense lawyer had said that in four days, his client had reduced to rubble everything he had previously built up over years as a conscientious professional soldier: "Four days of betrayal in which he crossed red lines. Four days of complete failure."
Exposed to fake news online
During a demanding professional period, his media consumption gradually shifted to Telegram and Tiktok. There, he was exposed to fake news and quotes taken out of context. At times, he was far removed from reality. He has since left the AfD again.
It's the biggest cock-up I've ever made in my life.
Der Angeklagte gab sich selbstkritisch.
The captain had claimed that he was driven by the fear of a nuclear escalation of the Ukraine war. "It's the biggest cock-up I've ever made in my life," he said in his closing statement. Depression caused by chronic overwork had impaired his rational thinking.
Officers from the German Federal Criminal Police Office arrested the man in Koblenz on August 9. He has been in custody ever since.
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