World Courant
The court docket in Düsseldorf sentences a former soldier to 3 and a half years in jail for sharing secret army data with Russia.
A former German soldier has been sentenced to 3 and a half years in jail for sharing secret army data with Russia within the wake of the outbreak of warfare in Ukraine.
A court docket in Düsseldorf had discovered the defendant, identified solely as Thomas H, responsible of passing on data on his initiative from his place within the army procurement service.
In handing down the sentence on Monday, the judges famous that Thomas had no earlier offenses, had not materially benefited from support to Russia and was sick on the time.
The 54-year-old had admitted the crime throughout his trial, claiming he hoped to obtain data in return that will assist him get his household to security in time in case the battle escalated into nuclear warfare.
The espionage case is one in all many uncovered in Germany since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Prosecutors had accused Thomas of photographing previous coaching paperwork associated to munitions methods and plane know-how and dropping the fabric by the letterbox of the Russian consulate in Bonn.
The defendant “approached the Russian Normal Consulate in Bonn and the Russian Embassy in Berlin in Could 2023 and provided his cooperation,” prosecutors mentioned.
“He handed on data obtained throughout his skilled actions to a Russian intelligence service.”
‘Silly concept’
Thomas admitted on the opening of his trial in April that the allegations in opposition to him had been “broadly” appropriate. “It was improper. I stand by that,” he mentioned.
He mentioned his considerations a few attainable escalation of the warfare in Ukraine prompted him to contact Russia.
To be exact, he was involved in regards to the risk that Berlin’s provide of heavy weapons methods to Ukraine would draw Germany into the battle.
Thomas additionally indicated that he had grow to be dissatisfied with the federal government and that he had little concern for the security of German residents.
He cited complaints about his well being after a few years of exhausting work for the army and the long-term negative effects of the coronavirus vaccine.
His numerous worries led him right into a “vicious circle,” he mentioned, including that he might now not justify his actions to himself.
Till his arrest in August 2023, Thomas was a profession soldier and labored within the Military’s tools, data know-how and help operations division.
The division, which employs round 12,000 employees, has seen its workload improve considerably because the outbreak of warfare in Ukraine, as the federal government undertakes a serious overhaul of the army after years of neglect.
Germany is on excessive alert for Russian spies in opposition to the backdrop of the warfare in Ukraine and rising tensions between Moscow and the West.
In April, German authorities arrested two German-Russian twin nationals on suspicion of plotting sabotage assaults on US army websites within the nation to undermine Western army help to Ukraine.
Russian authorities, in flip, have filed treason expenses in opposition to dozens of individuals accused of serving to Ukraine and the West because the invasion.
Former German soldier jailed for spying for Russia | Political information
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