A young Ukrainian national, accused of preparing arson attacks in Germany under the instruction of Russia, has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison. The Stuttgart Higher Regional Court found him guilty of espionage activity in Germany on Tuesday. Meanwhile, two other Ukrainian defendants in the case were acquitted.
According to the indictment, the men reportedly sent two packages containing activated GPS trackers from Cologne towards Ukraine in late March 2025. A Russian intelligence service is said to have issued the order through intermediaries in Mariupol. The aim was allegedly to scout the shipping routes and transport procedures of a parcel service provider, enabling them to later dispatch packages containing incendiaries in Germany or in parts of Ukraine not occupied by Russia, causing damage.
While the prosecution requested sentences ranging between two and nine months and four and three months for the defendants, the defense argued for full acquittal. The court’s final decision was significantly lower than the demands put forward by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, and it aligned with the defense in two of the three cases.
