What is being heard in room 145a of the Berlin Court of Appeal is reminiscent of a cinematic thriller. There is talk of meetings with associates of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) in a stadium, of joint visits to casinos and brothels, of photographs of classified documents and hurried trips to Moscow, of threats by Russian agents and promises of lucrative deals in Africa. Experts are talking about one of the most high-profile espionage trials in Germany.

But let’s take things from the beginning. For a month now, 32-year-old Artur E. and 53-year-old Carsten L. have been on trial in Berlin for “national treason”. They are accused that in 2022, during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, they had revealed state secrets to the Russian Intelligence Service (FSB), for a fee of hundreds of thousands of euros.

Arthur E. says he met Carsten L. in May 2021 at a stadium in Weilheim, Bavaria, when the latter was serving in the German BND intelligence agency. The difference between the two is that, while Carsten L. remains silent and just watches the proceedings in the Court of Appeal, Artur E. seems to be speechless. He has already told the investigating officer his own version of the story and is now repeating it in court.

Many “spaces» in history

The trial concerns state secrets, the leak of which is a blow to the BND. But in Artur E.’s apology, everything looks like a harmless adventure. It is obvious that the defendant is trying to elicit as lenient a decision from the judges as possible. What he tells on the one hand contains extremely detailed information (including visits to casinos and a Berlin brothel), but on the other hand leaves many gaps in the narrative. Thus, the president of the court Detlef Schmidt has worked out a “strategic plan” for the questions to the accused, starting with the information concerning the place and time of the meetings.

Leaving aside the “atmospheric” details, Arthur E. tells the story as follows: He had come to Federal Germany with his parents, who were originally from Russia. He himself was trying to do business in Africa with an acquaintance from Russia, Visa M., but he wanted to secure a residence permit for Germany first. This is how Artur E. addresses his acquaintance, who serves in the BND. When the three meet, the Russian businessman claims that a “friend” of his has taken over the Ministry of Disaster Management and perhaps they could “serve each other”. This is how the contact with Moscow is initiated.

“I have a thing for Russia»

At a later stage Artur E. – according to everything he tells himself – expresses the desire to work as a “source” for the BND. Meetings with his co-defendant Karsten L. and a BND liaison follow, but nothing happens afterwards. Until one day Carsten L. calls and says: “I have something for Russia.” Now the course of developments accelerates: Artur E. visits the old BND headquarters in the Cologne suburb of Pulach, photographs some “lists” and on the same day travels to Moscow to deliver the material to an unknown man, whom he believes to be that he serves in the Ministry of Disaster Management. At his next meeting, the next day, two men appear, and there he realizes that they are agents of the Russian Intelligence Service (FSB). One of them threatens him with a gun. He is told that the “lists” are of no interest and handed him a list of specific questions concerning military secrets.

The continuation of the story, according to Artur E., is that as soon as he returns to Germany they call him from Moscow to ask him for other “lists” (although it is assumed that the previous ones were of no interest). He himself receives the necessary “material” from Carsten L., travels again to Moscow and on his return brings with him some “files”, the contents of which have not yet been revealed.

However, what those present in the courtroom already know is that Artur E. has hidden money, but also diamonds in a bank safe. They also hear that his wife has taken a job at Visa M.’s business, and every now and then the family travels, sometimes to Monaco, sometimes to Miami.

It is not the first time that German authorities have identified suspects of spying for Russia since the war in Ukraine began. Right from the beginning of the trial, the lawyer Johannes Eisenberg, Carsten L.’s advocate, maintains that the co-accused Artur E. is “a fraud who pretends to be great”. Eisenberg has not said much about his own client. For now he is demanding better detention conditions, claiming that to this day Carsten L. is being held in solitary confinement, in conditions reminiscent of “torture” and, if this continues, he will not even be in a position to testify in court.