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Frankfurt Opens Trial of Three Accused of Spying for Russia in Alleged Kill Plot

Hearings before the state-security court are scheduled through May 2026.

Overview

  • Federal prosecutors say surveillance of a war‑injured former Ukrainian military intelligence officer was intended to prepare his killing.
  • The defendants—an Armenian, a Ukrainian, and a Russian—have been held since their SEK arrests in Frankfurt on June 19, 2024.
  • Investigators assert the Armenian suspect received the task in early May 2024 and then recruited the other two men.
  • The group allegedly planned to lure the target to a central Frankfurt café in June 2024, but the meeting collapsed after the man alerted police.
  • Defense lawyers rejected the allegations in court, arguing the evidence is incomplete and alternative scenarios were not examined.