Russian intelligence increasingly uses untrained disposable agents, German police find
German police on April 12 discovered forged documents, a drone, GPS tracker, radios, cameras, cash, multiple phones and SIM cards during a routine traffic stop on the A6 near Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, in a vehicle with Latvian plates. The find illustrates a growing trend of Russian intelligence using people without formal spy training, some of whom may not even know for whom they are working.
German police on April 12 at approximately 9:30 p.m. discovered a cache of espionage equipment during a routine traffic stop on the A6 motorway near Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, in a vehicle with Latvian license plates, according to police reports. Officers found forged identification documents, a drone, a GPS tracker, radios, cameras, cash, multiple mobile phones and SIM cards.
The seizure illustrates a broader trend identified by German authorities: Russian intelligence services are increasingly recruiting people without formal spy training to carry out espionage operations. Some of these individuals may not even know for whom they are working, investigators said.
The case comes amid a series of suspected Russian-linked espionage and sabotage incidents in Germany. On April 28, a hidden camera discovered at a major German rail hub triggered a sabotage investigation linked to Ukrainian military transports. A day later, a Kazakh man was arrested in Berlin on suspicion of espionage for Russia.