This is just trumped-up nonsense.
There is no reason a citizen is not allowed to talk to the Russians.
Well, there is a reason in Germany – it’s illegal. But this is an illegitimate law.
People should be able to talk to whoever they want. That’s not “spying.”
This guy also didn’t have “ties” to the AfD. He just supported them.
A member of Germany’s Bundeswehr went on trial in the western city of Düsseldorf on Monday, charged with espionage activities on behalf of Russia and leaking state secrets.
At the start of the trial, the defendant admitted that he had spied for Russia. He said his actions were driven by a fear of a nuclear escalation amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The officer was arrested on August 9 last year and the charges against him were made public on March 19.
What are the accusations against him?
The defendant is accused of making repeated and unsolicited offers to cooperate, starting in May 2023, at both Russia’s consulate in Bonn and its embassy in Berlin.
He allegedly already provided some sensitive information during these meetings.
According to prosecutors, he also photographed old training documents related to munitions systems and aircraft technology and dropped the material into the letterbox of the Russian consulate in Bonn.
Okay, well, that sort of is spying, actually.
But who cares?
Russia is the good guy.
The German government should be in prison. They spy on themselves for Israel constantly.
Prosecutors say there’s no evidence of him receiving payment.
What did he tell the court?The 54-year-old man said that the accusations against him were “broadly” accurate.
Content he saw “presumably on TikTok” had prompted him to contact the Russian consulate. He said he had followed on TikTok a pro-Russian influencer affiliated with the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), although he wasn’t sure which content it was.
According to his account, he was concerned about his family’s safety in the event of a nuclear attack. The officer said he therefore sought contact with Russian authorities to get a heads up on “when it was going to go off.”
…
Around the same time as his cooperation with Russian authorities, he had also applied for membership with the AfD. The court said his application was authorized in July 2023.
Yeah, he was just a member.
Not some top official.
This is all total bullshit.