A Ukrainian national has been arrested in the German state of Brandenburg on suspicion of spying for Russia, Germany's federal public prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters

The accused, identified by prosecutors only as Vadym Y., had been in contact with a Russian secret service via an intermediary since July 2025 at the latest, prosecutors said. He is alleged to have gathered military intelligence including information on the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition and explosives, as well as on personnel and military installations at locations designed to secure NATO's eastern flank.

While some of the information was publicly available, other details were solicited from individuals in the European defence industry, prosecutors said. German magazine Der Spiegel reported the suspect showed particular interest in the Bundeswehr's Panzerbrigade 45, the Lithuania Brigade, which is due to be fully stationed and operational in Lithuania next year.

Merz warns of more cases

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at a press conference in Montenegro on Thursday, said the arrest outside Berlin did not surprise him and warned there would be more such cases. "Germany is a target of intensive espionage activity; in that sense, the fact that this case was uncovered today is a success," Merz said, according to Reuters. "However, let us not delude ourselves: the activities of Russian intelligence services in Germany remain at a consistently high level."

Prosecutors said the accused will appear before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice on Friday, who will serve him with the arrest warrant and decide on the enforcement of pre-trial detention. The allegations have not been tested in court.