Thomas H, who served as a captain in the Equipment and Information Technology Department of the German Armed Forces in Koblenz, stated in court that he decided to transfer military information to Russia because he was concerned about the escalation of nuclear tensions in the Ukraine war.
Stating that he contacted the Russian consulate in May 2023 because of a news article he saw on social media, Thomas H said that he did not remember which news article it was, but at that time he followed a person who supported Russia and was close to the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on the social media platform Tiktok.
Thomas H also said that he contacted the AfD at the same time and applied for membership.
Claiming that he "assumed that tactical nuclear weapons would be used in the near future" in the war in Ukraine, Thomas H said that he contacted the Russian side to get timely information on this issue.
"I WANTED TO PROTECT MY FAMILY"
Thomas H stated that he wanted to protect his family in this way and said, "I didn't see any other way."
Expressing his regret that he now sees this as a mistake, Thomas H argued that he was in a bad psychological state at the time in question.
Stating that he largely agreed with the charges in the indictment prepared by the prosecution, Thomas H, however, denied the accusation that he gave the Russian consulate a CD containing files downloaded from the German Armed Forces drive.
According to the indictment, Thomas H contacted the Consulate General of Russia in Bonn and the Embassy of Russia in Berlin several times after May 2023, offering cooperation and sharing information obtained during his professional activities to be forwarded to the Russian intelligence service.
Thomas H was detained on August 9, 2023.
