Russia's FSB arrests German national accused of fighting as 'mercenary' for Ukraine

Russia’s FSB security service has arrested a German national accused of being a “mercenary” for Ukraine, Russian media reported on Wednesday.

“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has detained a German citizen who is a serving member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” said a statement cited by state news agencies. According to the FSB, the man — born in 1976 and described as a “sniper” — had previously fought in Afghanistan and Syria, arrived in Ukraine last November and signed a three-year contract with the Ukrainian army, but deserted after not receiving promised wages. He had reportedly also served in Ukraine between 2016 and 2018.

The FSB released a video, published on Telegram by the TASS news agency, in which the detained man — his face uncovered — spoke in German. The authorities are deciding whether to open a criminal case under Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code, covering mercenary activity.

The German foreign ministry said it was aware of the reports. “The priority now was to establish the facts, which we are of course pursuing, including through our embassy in Moscow,” a spokeswoman told reporters in Berlin.

The arrest came a week after Russia said it had detained a Swedish man on similar allegations and a Japanese journalist it accused of espionage, Arab News reported. On the same day, President Vladimir Putin announced the release of a jailed American during talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg, on “humanitarian considerations”.