Alleged Spying And Smuggling Of European Space Technology Information, Russian Citizen Arrested And Charged With Germany

Spy illustration. (Unsplash/Tetiana SHYSHKINA)

JAKARTA - German prosecutors have arrested and charged a Russian national with spying for Moscow, accusing him of providing Russian intelligence with information about European aerospace technology, in particular the Ariane space launch vehicle.

Federal prosecutors said the suspect, identified only as Ilnur N., worked as a scientific researcher at a Bavarian university until his arrest on June 18 last year.

The arrests highlight Russian intelligence activity in Germany, even as Berlin faces pressure from its Western allies to take a stronger stance in support of Ukraine as Russian troops gather at its borders.

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) first approached him no later than autumn 2019, prosecutors said, adding he had told the SVR he was ready to cooperate with them.

"The agency's interests specifically target the various stages of the development of the European space launcher Ariane, and the defendants' research into the tools," prosecutors said in a statement, citing Reuters Jan. 27.

From November 2019 onwards, he regularly met with handling officers based in Germany, repeatedly submitted information about research projects, receiving 2,500 euros in cash or about 2,800 US dollars.

Citing AFP's France24, the European Space Agency's Ariane program consists of a series of transport rockets designed to carry heavy loads including satellites into space.

The case comes at a time when tensions are rising between Germany and Russia, as the West fears Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. Germany itself has previously experienced a series of cases of alleged Russian espionage on its territory.

In October 2021, a German man was sentenced to two years probation for submitting floor plans of the parliament building to the Russian secret service, while being employed by a security firm.

In August, a former employee of the British embassy in Berlin was arrested on suspicion of providing documents to Russian intelligence. Germany has also repeatedly accused Russia of cyber espionage.