Berlin, the epicenter of espionage during the Cold War today once again the center of a secret service sting.
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| [Russian spy in Germany] |
Berlin, the epicenter of espionage during the Cold War today once again the center of a secret service sting. The target a British national working in the British Embassy, Berlin accused of spying for Russia.
A 57-year-old local contractor named simply as David S. was arrested on August 12 in Potsdam, near Berlin. His home and business have both been searched. "We take the information that the detained person's espionage operation was carried out on behalf of a Russian intelligence organization extremely seriously," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated. Surveilling a close ally on German grounds is unacceptably unethical. And we stand in complete sympathy with our British counterparts.
According to a statement from the German Federal Prosecutor's Office, David S has been suspected of working for a foreign spy agency since at least November 2020. That he transmitted materials to a representative of a Russian intelligence service on at least one occasion, and that in exchange, the accused received money.
Today's spy catchers at Thames House are deafeningly quiet. However, certain information have surfaced. The arrest may take place in Germany, but MI5, the UK's counter-espionage agency, is said to have played a significant role in the operation, which has been described as an intelligence-led operation. Those are words with a subject, and the idea is that this is a man who has been under observation for a long time.
This inquiry is being led by German authorities. This is the third time accused Russian agents have been apprehended on German soil this year.
This isn't a one-off occurrence. Russian fighter aircraft stopped the Royal Navy's HMS Defender in the Black Sea near Crimea seven weeks ago, and there were fatal repercussions in 2018 when the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the west played out on the streets of Salisbury, UK. Former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal or his daughter believed they were both poisoned since they were the intended target. Dawn Sturges, a British woman who was murdered by a Russian nerve toxin, was an innocent victim. The two men accused of the crime said they were merely tourists, but the United Kingdom has never believed them. Russia has always denied any involvement in the event. As a result, the United Kingdom removed 23 Russian diplomats.
So far, the UK government has been silent on the present situation in Germany. The public announcement said that it is a police inquiry, but private citizens believe that it is additional proof that a cold war from the past is rekindling.
It's worth noting that Russia hasn't said anything about this case yet. According to information on the 57-year-old accused David S, he is not a diplomat at the UK Embassy, which limits him access to the embassy's most complex and top-secret materials.