Russia jails a man for 13 years for alleged collaboration with German intelligence services

Both the intelligence agency and his partner deny their relationship

BERLIN, June 12 (DPA/EP) –

A man with German nationality has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for alleged espionage after a closed-door trial held in Russia last March, according to German media.

Der Spiegel magazine has reported that a Moscow court has sentenced the Russian-German Dieter Voronin for transmitting Russian state secrets to the German Foreign Intelligence Agency (BND).

However, Voronin’s partner has stated that he had never worked for the BND, while the spy agency has informed the federal government that he was not one of its agents, according to what the aforementioned media has learned.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry has indicated in statements to the DPA news agency that the German government is aware of the case.

“This is a person of German and Russian nationality. The German Embassy in Moscow and the Foreign Ministry have been dealing with the case from the beginning and have been and are in contact with the Russian authorities through various channels to obtain consular access. “, explained the spokesman, who added that the diplomats are also in contact with the relatives of the accused.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported in March that the man had been sentenced to 13 years and three months in a penal camp. He had pleaded guilty to cooperating with the BND and, according to the newspaper, had ruled out a deal with investigators over a reduced sentence in exchange for “uncovering” another case.