German army officer accused of spying for Russia

• A German reserve officer is on trial for allegedly spying for Russia.
• Accused of passing sensitive information from both military and civilian sources.
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• Prosecutors claim he divulged information about Germany’s military and high-ranking officials.

A German army reserve officer is on trial for allegedly spying for Russia for six years.

The 65-year-old man, only identified as Ralph G, is accused of sharing information with Russian intelligence from 2014 to 2020.

Prosecutors claim he divulged information about Germany’s military and personal information of high-ranking officials.

According to a court spokesperson, Ralph G did not make a statement on Thursday and stated that he would make one at the next hearing on September 1st.

He could face up to ten years in prison if convicted.

According to German media, Ralph G was a lieutenant colonel in the army. He worked as a sales manager for an international engineering firm in his civilian career and served on several civilian business committees.

He is accused of passing sensitive information from both military and civilian sources to two GRU military intelligence employees working as military attaches at the Russian embassy in Berlin.

The information was allegedly disseminated through infrequent meetings, phone calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages.

The majority of it came from publicly available sources, but Ralph G is also accused of sharing portions of an official government document about Germany’s relationship with Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

He is also thought to have passed on information about the impact of German sanctions imposed on Russia over Crimea.

Prosecutors claim he divulged information about weapon systems, the German army’s cyber capabilities, and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Ralph G admitted to providing information to Russian men after his arrest in 2020, but claims he had no idea his contacts were working for the GRU.

He is not thought to have been paid for the information, but rather received “invitations to events organised by Russian government agencies.”

The trial at the Higher Regional Court in Dusseldorf is expected to last several months.

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