A German court has sentenced a Ukrainian man to 15 months in prison for allegedly assisting a Russian linked operation to identify potential targets for sabotage across Europe.
The Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart said the 30 year old was involved in an operation in which three Ukrainians sent two packages from Germany to Ukraine containing GPS tracking devices and vehicle parts. Prosecutors said the operation was initiated by an unidentified Russian state entity.
According to the court, the shipments were intended to gather information that could help Russian organisers plan future acts of sabotage.
The convicted man was found to have deliberately assisted in identifying potential targets and arranged the shipment of GPS trackers at the request of an acquaintance from Russian occupied Mariupol.
Two other defendants were acquitted because there was insufficient evidence that they knowingly participated in plans to carry out attacks.
The convicted man and prosecutors can appeal the ruling. Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it is conducting sabotage operations in Europe.
European governments have increasingly accused Moscow of waging a broader “hybrid war” involving alleged sabotage and other covert activities against countries supporting Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
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