Security forces arrest two suspected Russian spies in Germany and Spain

The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday ordered the arrest in Germany and Spain of two people accused of spying, on behalf of Russia, on a German businessman who supplies drones and drone components for military use in Ukraine.

German authorities have arrested the Romanian national Alla S. In the town of Rheine, in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, while their Spanish counterparts apprehended Ukrainian national Sergey N. In Elda, in Alicante province, the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced in a statement. “The homes of the accused were searched simultaneously,” the statement added.

The arrests were the result of a wide-ranging investigation by the counterintelligence services of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and by state security agents from the Bavarian Regional Criminal Investigation Office.

According to the indictment, starting in December 2025, Sergey N., acting on behalf of a Russian secret service, surveilled a Bavarian businessman in Germany who supplied drones and related components to Ukraine. “To this end, the defendant gathered information online and made video recordings of the individual’s workplace. When Sergey N. Moved to Spain, Alla S. Took over his mission no later than March 2026,” the prosecution explained.

According to the investigation, Alla S. Found the businessman’s home address, traveled there, and covertly recorded the entrance area with her mobile phone. Investigators suspect that the espionage activities were aimed at “preparing new operations by the intelligence services against the target,” possibly even with the intention of killing him.

According to Der Spiegel, the businessman is in a safe location. He told the German publication by phone that, due to his work, he has been taking precautions for some time. His company previously supplied drones to Ukraine, including small kamikaze drones, and has since specialized in manufacturing individual drone components.

Alla S. Is expected to appear before the investigating judge of the Federal Supreme Court on Wednesday, who will notify her of the arrest warrant and decide on the execution of the pretrial detention order. In the case of Sergey N., the court is requesting his extradition from Spain to Germany based on a European arrest warrant.

Germany has long been battling Russian espionage. In late January, authorities arrested Russian citizen Illona W., accused of spying in Germany on behalf of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. Following the arrest, the German government expelled a senior official from the Russian embassy in Berlin, who was the Russian spy’s contact person.

It appears that Ilona W. Was in contact with this senior officer, who was accredited as a military attaché at the Russian embassy. Specifically, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Ilona W. Allegedly gathered background information on participants in high-level political events for her superior officer, starting at least in late 2023. Furthermore, she allegedly helped him participate in these events using a false identity and collected and transmitted information about arms industry locations, drone testing, and planned drone deliveries to Ukraine.

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