Germany expels Russian embassy official over espionage allegations

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany summoned Russia's ambassador Thursday and expelled a Russian embassy staff member accused of espionage amid growing tensions between Berlin and Moscow.

The German Foreign Ministry announced the decision in a statement, declaring that Berlin will not tolerate espionage on German soil – especially by intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover.

"We have summoned the Russian Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry today and informed him that the individual who spied on behalf of Russia is to be expelled," the ministry said, without offering further details about the incident.

The expulsion follows Wednesday's arrest of a German-Ukrainian woman in Berlin, who prosecutors allege had been gathering sensitive intelligence on arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Federal prosecutors said Ilona W. was suspected of acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, maintaining contact with an intelligence operative at the Russian Embassy in Berlin since at least November 2023.

“On several occasions, the accused provided him with information relating to the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” the Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

“She compiled background information on participants in high-profile political events and gathered information on the locations of arms manufacturers, drone tests, and planned drone deliveries to Ukraine,” it said.