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German prosecutors charge German-Ukrainian woman with spying for Russia

Prosecutors say she used political and military contacts to help a Russian embassy officer build an intelligence network and seek defense information.

  • German federal prosecutors charged a German-Ukrainian woman identified as Ilona on Monday with acting on behalf of Russian intelligence, alleging she coordinated with an officer stationed at the Russian Embassy in Berlin since Oct. 2023.
  • Ilona leveraged her role as a marketing agency owner and lobbying group chairwoman to access exclusive military and political circles, using this extensive network to assist the Russian intelligence officer in building his own contacts.
  • Prosecutors allege the defendant sought information on German defense policy regarding the war in Ukraine while attempting to recruit officials from the German Ministry of Defense and facilitating the officer's attendance at high-profile events.
  • Although authorities officially filed charges in Sept., Ilona has remained in pre-trial detention since her arrest earlier this year while the investigation focused on her efforts to help the foreign operative gain access to influential German networks.
  • This alleged espionage operation aimed to enable the Russian Embassy official to build a covert network for intelligence purposes, demonstrating ongoing efforts by foreign powers to infiltrate German defense policy circles.
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71 Articles

(Berlin=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Gye-yeon = A Ukrainian businesswoman who infiltrated the German diplomatic community and Ministry of Defense to collect intelligence has been brought to trial on espionage charges.

·Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
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Center

Prosecutors say a woman has collected information about German defense policy. She is accused of spying for Russia.

·Copenhagen, Denmark
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Center

It is said to have built up a pro-Russian network in Berlin and provided information on German defence policy to the Kremlin: Now the Federal Prosecutor's Office has indicted the alleged spy of Russia.

·Hamburg, Germany
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Center

About eight months after his arrest, the Federal Attorney General indicted Ilona W., a 57-year-old businesswoman in Berlin. According to information from Spiegel magazine, in the 74-page indictment, the woman of origin...

·Bucharest, Romania
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Right

German-Ukrainian PR consultant accused of providing Russia with information from political events in Germany - She was a regular at receptions and events attended by politicians and high-ranking diplomats

·Marousi, Greece
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Lean Left

The German Federal Prosecutor's Office has charged 57-year-old entrepreneur Ilona V., who has Ukrainian and German citizenship, with espionage in favor of Russia. According to the investigation, she used connections in political and military circles to obtain information about the country's defense policy.

·Kyiv, Ukraine
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n-tv broke the news on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
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