Trio accused in Germany of pro-Russian plot against US bases in Bavaria

American M1A1 Abrams tanks arrive in Grafenwoehr, Germany, in May 2023 to be used to train Ukrainian soldiers. Three dual German-Russian citizens were charged this month with spying on the US military training area in Grafenwoehr for the Kremlin. (US Army)

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Three men have been charged with spy on US military bases for Russia and plotting attacks on American personnel in retaliation for Western support for Ukraine, German prosecutors said.

The men, identified only as Dieter S., Alexander J. and Alex D., dual German-Russian nationals, were charged on December 9 at the Higher Regional Court in Munich with suspicion of working for a foreign intelligence agency. , according to a Monday statement from the German federal prosecutor’s office.

Dieter S., who prosecutors said was the ringleader of the plot, was also charged with acting as a sabotage agent, conspiracy to cause an explosion and arson, declaring his willingness to interfere with railway traffic and endangering safety by taking photographs of military installations.

The case first made headlines in April after Dieter S. and Alexander J. were arrested in Bayreuth, about 32 kilometers northwest of Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, prosecutors said at the time. Police raided the men’s homes and workplaces.

The pair staked out U.S. military facilities, including the army training area at Grafenwoehr, with the intention of disrupting NATO logistical support to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported in April. Ukrainian forces receive combined arms and weapons training there.

German law enforcement officials often hide the full identity of suspects due to the country’s strict privacy laws.

Dieter S. met a Russian intelligence agent while fighting against Ukrainian forces starting in 2014 as a member of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the prosecutor’s statement.

Donetsk is a province in eastern Ukraine that has been the scene of intense fighting since the 2014 Russian invasion, which served as a precursor to the full-scale war the Kremlin launched in February 2022.

Dieter S. was charged on October 18 with suspicion of membership in a foreign terrorist organization, the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the statement.

The group reportedly used violence against civilians and was often involved in “intense clashes,” according to German authorities.

In October 2023, Dieter S. began exchanging information with the agent about possible sabotage in Germany and scouted potential targets, prosecutors allege.

He transmitted images of military transport and goods to his Russian handler, said he was prepared to carry out bomb and arson attacks on military and industrial sites, and promised to attack railway lines used to transport military equipment, authorities said.

Alexander J. and Alex D. began helping in March, according to the release. Prosecutors did not specify what that help consisted of. Of the three, Alex D. is the only one still at large.

Stars and Stripes reporter Marcus Kloeckner contributed to this report.