Ukrainian convicted of espionage in Germany gets prison as 2 others are acquitted

A Ukrainian man was sentenced to a year and three months in prison in Germany on Tuesday for espionage after being accused of sending packages with GPS trackers to Ukraine via the Ukrainian postal service in March 2025. Two other Ukrainian citizens, also arrested, were acquitted by the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court. According to prosecutors, the convicted man allegedly arranged for the shipment of two packages containing GPS transmitters, knowing they could be used for sabotage.

The judges believed he had been instructed by a Russian intelligence service via intermediaries in Mariupol, with the aim of gathering information on the parcel delivery service's routes and procedures. The next step, the indictment claims, was to send packages containing incendiary devices that could ignite during transport, potentially causing damage to undermine the population's sense of security. However, investigators found no concrete plans for acts of sabotage.