Kremlin “served almost penetratingly”
Imprisonment demanded for officer for spying for Russia
May 14, 2024, 4:47 p.m
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The trial is underway in Düsseldorf against a Bundeswehr officer who passed on sensitive military information to Russia. In doing so, he is also putting Ukraine in danger. The 54-year-old confesses in court and explains his motive. He faces several years in prison.
The federal prosecutor’s office has demanded three and a half years in prison for a Bundeswehr officer who confessed to serving as a spy for Russia. The 54-year-old joined the AfD around the same time. “The indictment has been fully confirmed,” said a representative of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office at the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. The captain “almost obtrusively pandered” to Russia in order to give the Russian armed forces an advantage. He revealed military-sensitive information.
First he put an envelope with official secrets in the mailbox of the Russian consulate in Bonn. When there was no response, he contacted the consulate and then the Russian embassy by email as Michael Müller. His betrayal was likely to undermine German support for Ukraine, because the systems he was in charge of were also delivered to Ukraine. “That’s what he was after,” said the federal prosecutor.
The soldier knew that betraying a military aggressor would endanger human lives. In his extensive confession, the officer only denied handing over a CD onto which he had previously burned confidential files. However, he was photographed throwing the envelope into the consulate’s mailbox and this envelope was well filled – not just with a few pages of paper, as the defendant claimed. In addition, in his later email he emphasized the value of the material he supplied. “The documents submitted served as bait. They were intended to whet the appetite for more,” said the representative of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
Arrest probably prevented something worse from happening
The captain was guilty of a particularly serious case of acting as an agent. “All this for a state that has proven itself to be a ruthless aggressor.” There could be no question of an emotional act. The defendant could also not invoke his burnout syndrome. He demonstrated extremely planned behavior over several weeks. His attempts to contact the Russian secret service were not fruitful “despite all the penetrance.” “He was eagerly waiting to be spoken to and be able to deliver.” His arrest prevented something worse from happening, “because he actually had bigger plans.”
“It was just meant to be an appetizer for what was to come.” He himself revealed this to the police with a sentence after his arrest: “What else could have happened.” If the captain had revealed state secrets, he would now face life imprisonment. The penalty range is between one and ten years.
Defense attorney Marvin Schroth did not file a specific criminal complaint. In four days, his client reduced to rubble everything that he had previously built up over the years as a dutiful professional soldier. “Four days of betrayal where he crossed red lines. Four days of utter failure.”
Defendant admits “biggest bullshit of his life”
“What on earth made him do this? Where the hell did Mr. H. take a wrong turn?” the lawyer asked. He was constantly overworked for four years and still didn’t seek treatment. Already in poor health, he found himself in a downward spiral due to sleep disorders. During a demanding professional period, his media consumption gradually shifted to Telegram and Tiktok. There he was exposed to fake news and quotes taken out of context. One day before the attack on Ukraine, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck warned that a lot of people would die. However, the defendant received exactly the opposite of what Habeck had said. At times he was clearly removed from reality. The defense attorney said he believes the three-and-a-half-year sentence is clearly excessive. “Then he gave free rein to a fixed idea and turned his previous life upside down.”
His admission of his own excessive demands came too late. “He finally sought help, but three weeks too late.” The captain had claimed that he was driven by fear of a nuclear escalation in the Ukraine war. The captain’s behavior was more than naive. He didn’t even put on a disguise when he dropped the documents into the consulate’s mailbox. He found the Federal Prosecutor’s Office’s three-and-a-half-year sentence to be significantly excessive. When asked on the sidelines of the trial, the defense attorney said that his client had since left the AfD.
In his closing statement, the defendant said that the last year had been a nightmare for him that he would like to erase. “It’s the biggest mess I’ve ever made in my life.” He had to experience firsthand what the phrase “Fear eats up the soul” means. “I should have gone to the doctor much sooner.” Depression caused by chronic overwork impaired his rational thinking. Officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office arrested the captain in Koblenz on August 9th. He has been in custody ever since. The court wants to announce the verdict on May 27th.