German authorities have detained two men – a Ukrainian and a Latvian national – on suspicion of preparing sabotage activities, following a routine traffic stop in Bavaria, local police said on Thursday, April 23.
According to the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, the suspects were stopped on April 12 on the A6 highway near Neuendettelsau during a standard vehicle inspection.
Officers discovered a range of suspicious items inside the car, including forged identification documents, cameras, a drone, GPS trackers, radio equipment, multiple mobile phones and SIM cards.
The detainees – a 43-year-old Ukrainian citizen and a 45-year-old Latvian national – are suspected of acting on behalf of a foreign organization.
The investigation is being led by prosecutors from Munich General Prosecutor’s Office, including its central unit for combating extremism and terrorism.
Both suspects, who have no permanent residence in Germany, have been placed in pre-trial detention following arrest warrants issued by a Munich court.
Authorities said further details cannot be disclosed due to the ongoing investigation. The presumption of innocence applies.
Russia’s evolving spy networks
European nations have previously warned of heightened espionage risks posed by Russia.
In January, Germany reported the arrest of three alleged spies in two espionage cases, including a woman who reportedly passed intelligence about military aid to Ukraine to Russia. In October 2025, German authorities requested an eight-year prison sentence for a 39-year-old German-Russian national accused of scouting Western military targets for Russia.
In March, the Financial Times reported that Vienna has become a hotspot for Russian espionage thanks to the country’s neutral status, with clusters of satellite dishes used for covert signals intelligence (SIGINT) installed in diplomatic compounds.
As Europe began expelling Russian spies operating under diplomatic cover after 2022, Moscow has also turned towards the “illegals” – a term to describe resident spies without official cover – as well as vulnerable recruits for low-level sabotage and disruptive operations.
Germany has also reported intermittent sightings of unidentified drones near sensitive sites in recent years, including near bases hosting training for Ukrainian troops in 2024; over military and industrial facilities in Rhineland-Palatinate in December that year; above two military sites in Manching in January 2025; and near Bremen Airport in November 2025, where flights were disrupted.