Germany arrests Kazakhstan citizen accused of spying for Russia

Prosecutors say the man, identified only as ‘Sergej K’, has been in ‘continuous contact’ with Russian intelligence.German authorities have arrested a Kazakh man in Berlin on suspicion of spying for Russia, according to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office.Identified only as Sergej K, the man had been “in continuous contact from Germany with a Russian intelligence service” since at least May last year, the office said in a statement on Wednesday, a day after the arrest.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Germany summons Russian ambassador, citing ‘direct threats’list 2 of 4EU eyes Ukraine loan, Israeli settler sanctions, after Hungarian electionlist 3 of 4Russia says will halt oil flow to Germany via Druzhba pipelinelist 4 of 4Russian oil exports slump as Ukraine hammers ports and refineriesend of listProsecutors said Sergej K provided his Russian handler with details about German military aid for Ukraine, including companies involved in developing drones and robotic systems. He also allegedly sent photos of NATO military convoys and public buildings in Berlin.Other activities included offering to find other espionage agents in Germany, prosecutors added, but they did not make clear whether he had done so.There was no immediate reaction from Kazakhstan or Russia.Previous casesThe case is the latest in a string of Moscow-linked espionage and disinformation plots German authorities claim to have discovered since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Two German-Russian dual nationals were arrested in 2024 on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks on United States military sites in Germany to undermine Western military support for Ukraine.German police have also arrested various alleged “disposable” agents, known to carry out sabotage and espionage without any formal training for Russia in exchange for small payments.Earlier this month, Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn what it called “direct threats” against “targets in Germany”.