Scientist suspected of spying for Russia arrested in Germany

German police arrested a Russian scientist working at an unidentified university, accusing him of spy for moscowprosecutors said Monday, in a case that risks further escalating bilateral tensions.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the suspect, identified only as Ilnur N., had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of “Work for a Russian secret service from early October 2020 at the latest.”

Ilnur N. was employed until the time of his arrest as an investigative assistant for a department of natural sciences and technology of the anonymous German university.

German researchers believe that met at least three times a member of the Russian secret service between October 2020 and this month. On two occasions, he allegedly “transmitted information from the domain of the university”.

We suspect that he accepted cash in exchange for his services.

German authorities searched his home and workplace during the arrest.

The suspect appeared on Saturday before a judge who took him into custody.

“Completely unacceptable”

Neither the German government nor the Russian government made any immediate comment on the case.

However, Moscow at odds with several Western capitals after Russian troop build-up at Ukraine’s borders and a series of spy scandals that resulted in diplomatic expulsions.

Italy said this month that it had created a national cybersecurity agency following the warnings of Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Europe needed to protect itself Russian “interference”.

The decision came after police caught one red-handed captain of the Italian navy during sold confidential military documents leaked from his computer to an official of the Russian Embassy.

Last month, the leaders of nine Eastern European countries condemned what they called “Russian acts of aggression “citing operations in Ukraine and” sabotage “allegedly targeting the Czech Republic.

Several Central and Eastern European countries expelled Russian diplomats in solidarity with Prague, but Russia called accusations of its participation “absurd” and responded with an eye for expulsions.

The latest spy case also comes at a time of very tense relations between Russia and Germany on various fronts, including the ongoing arrest of the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who received treatment in Berlin after near-fatal poisoning.

In addition, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has sought to maintain a sanctions regime for Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the scene of the ongoing struggle between pro-Russian separatists and local forces.

And Germany has repeatedly accused Russia of cyber attacks on its territory.

The most high-profile incident attributed to Russian hackers to date was a cyberattack in 2015 which completely paralyzed the computer network of the lower house of parliament in the Bundestag, forcing the entire institution to log off for days while it was being repaired.

German prosecutors filed in February espionage charges against a German suspected of having transmitted the plans of the parliament to the Russian secret services in 2017.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heiko maas, said last week that Germany hoped to be the target of Russian disinformation in the run-up to its September general election, calling it “totally unacceptable”.

Russia denies being behind such activities.

Despite international criticism, Berlin continued with plans to complete the pipeline Nord Stream 2, which will double natural gas deliveries from Russia to Germany.

(With information from AFP)

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