A woman, whose identity is indicated only as Ilona W. (Ilona V.) under German privacy rules, is accused of maintaining contacts with a permanent intelligence officer of the Russian Embassy in Berlin at least since October 2023, according to a prosecutor’s statement.
Read more Elected President of the Lithuanian Banks Association
The accused headed a marketing agency in Berlin and was the chairwoman of a lobbying group. Due to these roles, she had a wide network of contacts in military and political circles, prosecutors stated.
For several years, the woman provided information about important events to the intelligence officer of the Russian Embassy and ensured that he could attend them, sometimes using a false name. This was intended to allow him to build his own network for intelligence purposes, the statement said.
To identify contacts and potential targets, she herself participated in such events. Additionally, the accused tried to recruit individuals from the German Ministry of Defense and defense industry to achieve her goals, prosecutors claim.
Read more Shaquille O’Neal arrives in Lithuania
On behalf of her contact person at the Russian Embassy, the accused sought information about German defense policy and the defense industry, especially considering Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The woman was detained in January, and charges were brought against her on September 6. She remains in custody.
