“A 56-year-old businesswoman with dual citizenship who is suspected of working for Russian intelligence and collecting data on the country’s political activities and defense industry was detained in Germany, local media reported”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to Spiegel, the detainee’s name is Ilona V., she is a 56-year-old businesswoman. The publication, referring to the investigation materials, writes that since November 2023, Ilona V. collected information about high-ranking participants in political events in Germany and passed it on to a contact person at the Russian embassy in Berlin. In German intelligence, this person is considered to be a GRU colonel who worked undercover.
The detainee also collected data on the location of German defense industry facilities, drone testing and plans to deliver them to Ukraine. At the same time, she misled companies, giving the impression that she was making requests on behalf of Ukrainian structures, writes Spiegel.
According to the publication, Ilona V. was on the board of the Berlin Association for International Cooperation, which maintains contacts with politicians from the SPD and CDU parties, as well as with big business.
Together with this detention, two former employees of the German Ministry of Defense, with whom the detainee was probably in contact, were searched. Both are still at large.