A Russian spy scare won’t undermine German morale on Ukraine

The news that German police have arrested two alleged Russian spies in Bavaria has understandably raised some alarm bells in Berlin. The men stand accused of targeting military infrastructure, aiming to undermine German support for Ukraine; such acute security threats are always bad news. But the response so far has been more defiant than divided. This latest spate of planned Russian attacks in Germany may well backfire on all fronts.

There is no doubt the incident is serious. The two men who were arrested in Bayreuth, northern Bavaria, on Wednesday stand accused of targeting German military facilities through arson and bombings. The main suspect, a 39-year-old man named by the press as Dieter S., is said to have communicated with Russian security services about acts of sabotage in Germany such as attacking infrastructure and industry as well as spying on American sites in Germany. According to the political magazine Der Spiegel, which first reported on the story, the US Army Garrison Grafenwoehr was among the places photographed.