Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said two people have been taken into custody and are accused of spying for Russia.
The suspects are a 45-year-old Romanian woman detained in the northwestern German city of Rheine and a 43-year-old Ukrainian man arrested in the southeastern Spanish city of Elda.
Prosecutors say the alleged spies targeted a German national who supplied drones and related components to Ukraine. According to the statement, beginning in December 2025, a man identified as Sergey N., acting on behalf of a Russian intelligence service, surveilled the supplier, gathered information and made video recordings of the person’s workplace.
When Sergey N. moved to Spain, investigators believe the Romanian national, named as Alla S., took over the assignment. She is accused of visiting the target’s address in Germany and filming it with her phone.
Prosecutors say the surveillance was likely intended to prepare further intelligence operations against the target. German magazine Der Spiegel reported investigators suspect those operations could have included physical attacks or an assassination attempt.
German authorities have warned that Russian intelligence is actively recruiting so-called “disposable agents”—individuals with no formal training who can be paid small sums to carry out acts ranging from arson and property damage to drone overflights of sensitive sites. Officials say recruitment often takes place via social media.
Edited by: Sean Sinico