"Russia's war in Ukraine has sharply heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO member Germany, which strongly backs Kyiv and also accuses Russia of drone surveillance, sabotage and disinformation campaigns. The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to inquiries from AFP on Thursday, having previously said it would not comment on the arrest and spy claims. News of the case broke Wednesday when police in Berlin arrested the alleged spy, a German-Ukrainian businesswoman partly identified as Ilona W."
"She allegedly used her personal contacts with current and former German defence ministry employees to gather information about military aid for Ukraine, the arms industry, drone test sites and other sensitive subjects. She is also accused of helping her Russian handler use a fake identity to attend political events in Berlin and build useful contacts. According to news magazine Der Spiegel, her handler inside the Russian embassy was an officer in the GRU military intelligence service who formally operated as deputy military attaché."
Germany summoned Russia's ambassador and ordered expulsion of a Russian diplomat suspected of handling a woman arrested on espionage charges in Berlin. Police arrested a German-Ukrainian businesswoman identified as Ilona W. She allegedly used personal contacts with current and former German defence ministry employees to gather information on military aid for Ukraine, the arms industry and drone test sites. She is accused of helping her Russian handler use a fake identity to attend political events. The handler was identified as a GRU officer operating as deputy military attaché and was ordered to leave within 72 hours. The Russian embassy did not immediately comment.
Read at The Local Germany
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