Police in the  German state of Brandenburg have arrested a Ukrainian man on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe said Thursday.

The man, identified only as Vadym Y. by prosecutors, is suspected of having used his connections to European defense firms to gather information that he then allegedly passed on to a Russian spy agency.

What do we know about the alleged espionage in Germany?

Prosecutors said he had been in touch with a middleman since July 2025. They said he had been gathering intelligence in connection with the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Germany.

This information reportedly included "details regarding the production of armored vehicles, ammunition and explosives, as well as information on personnel and military facilities at locations intended to secure NATO's eastern flank."

Germany has been on high alert for acts of sabotage in recent months, especially since an explosive-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport. Berlin said Moscow was behind the attempted attack.

Why is Germany worried about Russia's 'hybrid' war?

Germany is one of the biggest military and political supporters of Ukraine, especially following an increasingly friendly US stance toward Russia under President Donald Trump.

This seems to have put Germany in Russia's crosshairs as part of what has been called a "hybrid" campaign of espionage, sabotage and other disruptions.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was not surprised by the arrest, adding that there would be more such cases ⁠in ​the future.

Besides the incident at Leipzig airport, there have been numerous cases of people being arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia. Moscow has denied all allegations.

This has led Germany to give increased powers to its own spying agency, the BND.

The agency's chief, Martin Jaeger, told German lawmakers earlier in October that the Russian "shadow war" is escalating and has "taken on a new, more dangerous character."

"Germany is at risk of being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia," he told a hearing of parliament's intelligence oversight committee in Berlin.

Edited by: Zac Crellin

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