A German court on Tuesday sentenced a Ukrainian man to prison on espionage charges, finding him guilty of planning arson attacks on behalf of Russia, but two other Ukrainian defendants were acquitted, UNN writes, citing dpa.
Details
The Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart imposed a sentence of one year and three months in prison. He has not yet commented on the specific charges.
Three men aged 22, 25 and 30 were arrested last May in Cologne and Konstanz in Germany, as well as in the Swiss canton of Thurgau. They were accused of participating in a sabotage plot targeting the transportation network of a parcel delivery company.
Prosecutors told the court that, on orders from Russian intelligence, the men sent two parcels to Ukraine in March 2025 via the Ukrainian postal service, containing GPS trackers to collect information about the routes and transportation procedures used by the parcel delivery company. The intelligence service allegedly issued the order through intermediaries from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the publication writes.
According to prosecutors, the next step was to send parcels containing incendiary devices that would ignite during transportation.
The parcels were intended to "ignite in Germany or elsewhere en route to parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia and cause as much damage as possible in order to undermine the population's sense of security," prosecutors said. They said the three men had agreed to send the parcels, but their plans were uncovered while they were still preparing the attacks.
The prosecution requested sentences ranging from two years and nine months to four years and three months, while the defense argued for the acquittal of all three.
Ukrainian charged in Germany over parcel sabotage09.02.26, 19:36
Additional information
The case is reminiscent of a 2024 incident when an air-freight parcel caught fire at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig, the publication notes. Security service employees believe the parcel was planted there on behalf of Russia.
The then-president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, said that, by a lucky coincidence, the parcel did not ignite during the flight.
Earlier this month, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonator was discovered at Leipzig Airport near a Ukrainian transport aircraft. Separately, another aircraft collided with an unknown small flying object that authorities believe may have been a second drone.
Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the incident "a hybrid attack by foreign states." Prosecutors are investigating the case on suspicion of attempting to cause an explosion and dangerous interference with air traffic.