Espionage scandal in Germany. A GRU officer under diplomatic cover will be deported to Russia

The German Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to Berlin on Thursday to inform him about the expulsion of one of his subordinate diplomats, one day after the arrest of an alleged Russian spy in the same investigation, reports AFP, taken over by Agerpres.

Germany “does not tolerate espionage” on its territory, “especially under the cover of diplomatic status”, the ministry communicated on the X network. The Russian Embassy, ​​contacted by AFP, did not immediately react.

According to the German weekly Der Spiegel, Berlin asked Moscow to ensure the departure from Germany within three days of the person in question, who was officially attached to the embassy, ​​but in reality is part of Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU. He was the commanding officer of a woman with dual German-Ukrainian citizenship, identified as Ilona W, who provided the embassy with information about military aid to Ukraine and the German defense industry.

According to investigators, the woman obtained information from former German army officials – a recently retired staff officer and a former high-ranking official who left the army 15 years ago. The two are free, but being investigated to find out if they were aware that they were transmitting information to Russia.

The present case is the latest in a long list of espionage, disinformation and sabotage operations put by the German authorities on Russia's account, in the framework of Moscow's supposed “hybrid war” against the European states that support Ukraine.

The government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, installed in the spring of 2025, has established that the reconstruction of the German army and its infrastructures is a priority to face the Russian threat.

The Kremlin systematically denies that it would threaten the security of Europe and claims that, on the contrary, the Europeans are the ones who want to destroy Russia.