German prosecutors charge two Ukrainians with espionage
According to Ukrinform, citing the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, this was announced in a press release dated January 13.
“The Federal Prosecutor General has filed charges with the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court against Ukrainian citizens Danylo B. and Vladyslav T.,” the statement said.
The two Ukrainians are accused of espionage, gathering intelligence for the purpose of sabotage, and conspiracy to commit arson under aggravating circumstances.
The investigation established that in late March 2025, Danylo B., Vladyslav T., and Yevhen B. (who is being prosecuted separately) jointly sent two parcels equipped with activated GPS trackers from Cologne to Ukraine. The assignment was issued by a Russian intelligence service through intermediaries in Mariupol. The aim of the operation was to investigate delivery routes and transportation procedures used by a logistics service provider, and subsequently to send parcels containing incendiary devices. These parcels were intended to ignite in Germany or elsewhere along the route to parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia, causing as much damage as possible in order to undermine the population’s sense of security, the German prosecutors said.
Danylo B. and Vladyslav T. were arrested on May 9 and 10, 2025. Yevhen B. was arrested in Switzerland on May 13, 2025, and extradited to Germany on December 23, 2025. He is expected to be formally charged in the near future.
As previously reported, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s counterintelligence service has noted an increased level of threat from espionage, sabotage, and disinformation. There is a growing trend of Russian special services using so-called “disposable agents” – low-level operatives who agree, for payment, to carry out certain illegal actions.
