An elderly man with glasses, short gray hair and a wide mustache and an old-fashioned jacket with two rows of buttons looked curiously at the journalists filming him. He himself could be mistaken for a lawyer, not a defendant. So on Thursday, August 11, Ralph G., a 65-year-old lieutenant colonel in the reserve Bundeswehr and an alleged Russian agent, appeared before the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf.

The trial is taking place with heightened security measures – in the hall where terrorists are usually tried. But this is more likely due to the size of the facilities and protective measures against the coronavirus. At the time of the investigation, Ralph G. was not taken into custody. He doesn’t seem to be considered a very dangerous spy.

What data did the accused provide to Russia?

The federal prosecutor’s office, which handles espionage cases, accuses Ralph G. of pro-Russian intelligence activities against Germany and the United States, its NATO ally. As stated in the indictment, from October 2014 to March 2020 Ralph G. gave the GRU (in Germany they use the old name of the current Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – Ed.) information and documents received by him from open and official sources. Gerd Kaiser, a spokesman for the prosecution, told reporters that the defendant was in contact “sometimes in person, but more often by email” with officials at the Russian embassy in Berlin. The investigation stems from the fact that these employees are linked to the GRU.

Although Ralph G. was in Russia, he was recruited, according to the prosecution, he was in his homeland. As the online portal Der Spiegel writes with reference to the investigation data, the defendant’s first contact with a Russian special services officer took place in Bonn in early 2014 at the “Luftwaffe Ball” – a solemn event with music and dance, where also a representative of the Russian Embassy in Berlin was invited.

Sometime later, according to the investigation, Ralph G. began briefing this and other Russian intelligence officers on what he knew well – about Bundeswehr structures dealing with reservists and military-civilian cooperation. The defendant was the deputy head of one of these regional structures in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, usually involved in a crisis.

In addition, Russian intelligence services allegedly received information from Ralph G. about the consequences for the German economy of Western sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and about the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under construction at the time. The retired lieutenant colonel is also accused of handing over personal data (including contacts) of high-ranking Bundeswehr officials, including a brigadier general. Finally, another point of accusation concerns the transfer of information on security and defense policy to “the United States and its western allies”.

According to the investigation, among the official documents delivered to the GRU by Ralph G. was a working version of the so-called “Bundeswehr white paper” for 2016 – a document that presents the main directions of German security policy. The document was published later, but with changes.

“Reward” – an invitation to the conference of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation?

The most valuable thing for any spy is connections. Ralph G. had them in two key areas of interest to Russian special services: military and economic. Less is known about his civilian activities than about his ties to the Bundeswehr. Ralf G. is married, lives in the suburbs of Düsseldorf and, according to the press, worked as a sales manager for an international company. He was also a member of regional economic structures such as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The accused allegedly received no money for his services. In any case, the Public Ministry found no evidence of this. It appears that his main motive was “sympathy” for Russia, as stated in the indictment. According to Der Spiegel, Ralph G., among other things, traveled to Russia, where he visited the graves of German and Russian soldiers killed during World War I.

In some cases, as established by the investigation, Ralph G. himself offered information to Russian diplomats and tried to show its importance. The federal prosecutor believes that a possible “reward” was “invitations to events by Russian government bodies” – the Moscow Conference on International Security, which is organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The flight and accommodation were paid for by the Russian side.

It’s not the only case

In recent years, lawsuits over allegations of spying for Russia have become more frequent in Germany. In Munich, a Russian is tried for espionage in the field of rocket research. Another suspect allegedly turned over drawings of Bundestag buildings to Russian special services.

According to observers, the process in Düsseldorf is important not so much because of the secret materials that Ralph G. turned over to Russian military intelligence, but because it was carried out by a retired Bundeswehr officer, moreover, after the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of the war in Donbass.

The first session within the consideration of the case on the merits ended in less than an hour. The defendant was silent and, according to his lawyer, intends to speak later. The article of the German Penal Code, in violation of which he is accused, provides for a fine or imprisonment for up to five years, and in especially serious cases – up to ten years as a punishment.