On Wednesday, two German individuals were charged with transferring intelligence secrets connected to the Ukrainian war to Russia’s security services.
Prosecutors accuse the pair, known only as Carsten L. and Arthur E., of collaborating with a Russian businessman to “procure sensitive information” from Germany’s BND foreign intelligence service.
According to Lisa Jani, a spokesman for the Berlin criminal court, at least some of the intelligence “concerned the war in Ukraine.”
“Information therefore that was particularly important not only for the federal republic (of Germany), but also for the Russian side,” she told journalists.
Jani and the prosecutors did not elaborate on the nature of the leaked information, but Spiegel magazine said that it is about Russia’s paramilitary outfit Wagner.
Because of the trial’s seriousness, hearings are being held under strict security, with certain sessions perhaps closed to the public.
The defendants were sitting separately in glass boxes in the soundproofed courtroom and avoided glancing at each other during the hearing.
According to prosecutors, Carsten L., a BND employee, is accused of passing documents from the agency to Arthur E., who then passed them on to a contact in Russia.
Carsten L. is claimed to have printed or screenshotted nine internal BND files between September and October 2022.
The materials were given to Arthur E., who allegedly took digital copies to Moscow, printed them, and handed them over to Russia’s FSB security service.
The two are charged with high treason and, if found guilty, may face life in prison.
Precious metals dealer
The intelligence official Carsten L. and businessman Arthur E. “got to know each other and got along well”, Jani said.
Jani claims that Arthur E., whose operations included precious metals trade in Africa, had “good connections” in Russia and reportedly made the relationship with the FSB.
According to her, the FSB paid Carsten L. at least 450,000 euros ($485,500) and Arthur E. at least 400,000 euros for their services.
Part of the information was tied to a messaging app used by the mercenary company Wagner, which fought with Russia’s military soldiers in Ukraine, according to a story in the German weekly Spiegel.
The BND acquired access to the site, but communication in the conversation stopped once the information was allegedly given to Moscow, depriving Germany of critical information regarding the invasion, according to the magazine.
Moscow brought the Wagner organization to heel after its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led an armed uprising against Russia’s military leadership in June.
Many Wagner fighters were absorbed into the regular army, while Prigozhin himself was killed in an August aviation crash in Russia.
However, at the time of the leak, Wagner mercenaries were an important part of Russia’s military effort.
‘Unauthorised contact’
Carsten L. was apprehended in December 2022, and his accused accomplice was apprehended a month later as he landed in Munich from the United States. In September, they were charged.
Both face an extra accusation of “unauthorized contact with each other in the pre-trial detention center,” where they may have “exchanged information that could influence the proceedings,” according to Jani.
In a statement, Carsten L.’s lawyer, Johannes Eisenberg, stated that there was “no objective evidence whatsoever” for his client’s alleged treason.
Eisenberg complained of a “show trial” after judges stated that because the accusations were so sensitive, a portion of the charge sheet might be kept secret.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Germany has been jolted by multiple episodes of alleged Russian eavesdropping, with accusations that Berlin leaders are too friendly with Moscow.
A German national working for the military was arrested earlier this year on allegations of spying for Russia.
In November 2022, a German man was sentenced to probation for supplying information to Russian intelligence while serving as a reserve officer in the German army.