Germany charges three with spying on Ukrainian in possible assassination plot

BERLIN (Reuters) -German prosecutors have charged three people - a Ukrainian, a Russian and an Armenian - with foreign agent activity, on suspicion of spying on a Ukrainian man in Germany with the possible aim of killing him, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The target of the operation was a man who had taken part in combat operations for the Ukrainian armed forces following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a statement from the federal prosecutor said.

The Armenian man, identified only as Vardges I, was tasked with spying by the Russian intelligence service, the statement added. He is said to have recruited Ukrainian national Robert A. and Russian national Arman S. to assist with the operation.

The plot involved a planned meeting with the target at a cafe in central Frankfurt in June 2024, but he did not show up after being tipped off by German authorities, the prosecutor said.

"The spying operation presumably served to prepare further intelligence operations in Germany, possibly including the killing of the target person," the statement said.

The three suspects have been in custody since their arrest on June 19, 2024, the day of the attempted meeting.

European security officials have warned of the increased threat of hybrid attacks by Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war, including espionage and sabotage targeting critical infrastructure.

In 2019, a Georgian man and former Chechen militant was shot dead in central Berlin by a hit man that Germany said was working for Russia.

(Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Bernadette Baum)