A German army officer was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for spying for Russia, the Supreme Court in Dusseldorf announced on Monday, as quoted by Reuters.
Judges found that Thomas H., then a captain stationed at the army's procurement office in Koblenz, had handed over internal documents to the Russian consulate in Bonn last May and had offered to provide more material in the future.
"The documents he provided could provide a foreign power with information that would be harmful to Germany's security," said the judges' decision.
The procurement office's activities are particularly sensitive at a time when the European Union's economic engine is rushing to retool and rebuild its long-neglected armed forces in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The fact that Russia poses a military threat to Germany is an aggravating circumstance, the judges ruled. Germany plays a central role in equipping Ukraine with military equipment for its defense against Russia.
The judges noted that the officer had no previous offenses on his record, had not received material benefit from his assistance to Russia and was in poor health at the time he committed the act. He regrets his actions and has cooperated with the investigation, they added.