German federal prosecutors have charged a 57-year-old Berlin businesswoman with allegedly carrying out intelligence activities for Russia. The woman, identified as Ilona W., holds German and Ukrainian citizenship and has been in pre-trial detention since her arrest on January 21, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors allege that Ilona W. used her roles as head of a marketing agency and chair of a lobbying association to draw on contacts in German political and military circles. They say she had contact from at least October 2023 with a full-time Russian intelligence officer based at the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
According to the indictment, she repeatedly provided information about high-profile events and helped the officer gain entry to them, sometimes using a false name. Prosecutors say the alleged purpose was to help him establish a network that could support intelligence activities.
They also accuse Ilona W. of attending events to identify useful contacts and potential targets. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office says she tried to recruit people from Germany’s Defense Ministry and the arms industry, while seeking information about German defense policy and the defense sector for her Russian contact, particularly in relation to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The charges were filed before the state security division of Berlin’s Higher Regional Court. The supplied material does not indicate when a trial will begin or how the accused has responded to the allegations.
Germany expelled the suspected Russian intelligence officer shortly after Ilona W.’s arrest, according to the source. Moscow responded by expelling a German diplomat.