German federal prosecutors have arrested a Ukrainian national on suspicion of spying for Russia.
The 53-year-old man, identified only as Vadym Y. under German privacy laws, was detained on Thursday in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, near the Polish border. According to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe, he had been in contact with a Russian intelligence service via an intermediary since at least July 2025 .
Prosecutors allege that Vadym Y. gathered militarily relevant information for Russia, including details on the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition, and explosives, as well as personnel and military facilities at sites securing NATO’s eastern flank. Some of the information was publicly available, but he also deliberately obtained additional details by approaching individuals working in the European defence industry .
The arrest follows a pattern of heightened espionage concerns in Germany. In April 2026, a man was arrested in Berlin for allegedly passing information on Germany’s military support for Ukraine, defence companies, and military convoys to a Russian intelligence service. Another case involves a 53-year-old Ukrainian in North Rhine-Westphalia accused of monitoring a fellow Ukrainian in a refugee shelter on behalf of Russia’s FSB and passing information via Telegram .
The investigation into Vadym Y. is ongoing, and prosecutors have not yet established the full scope of his alleged activities or potential accomplices. He is expected to appear before a judge on Friday to determine whether he will be remanded in custody . Until a final conviction, the presumption of innocence applies.
