Spy trial in Frankfurt for three suspected Russian agents after café surveillance of Ukrainian

In June 2024 in Frankfurt, German police arrested three men—Robert (Ukrainian), Vardges (Armenian), and Arman (Russian)—suspected of spying on Mikael, a Ukrainian former soldier accused of war crimes and hiding in Germany. The men waited in a café expecting a fourth person who never arrived, prompting police intervention. While immediate murder seemed unlikely due to lack of weapons, the arrest reflects Russian intelligence targeting and revenge linked to war crimes allegations. The German Generalbundesanwalt is prosecuting the suspects on espionage charges with possible five-year sentences, while also investigating Mikael. Defense claims some suspects were unwitting, highlighting the case's complex intersection of espionage, patriotism, and war crimes.