Russia says it detained German citizen suspected of fighting for Ukraine

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it has detained a German citizen suspected of serving as a sniper in the Ukrainian army, state media outlet TASS reported on Wednesday, citing the agency’s press service.

The FSB did not say when or where the man was detained, and it did not name him. According to the agency, he fought in Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria, and from 2016 to 2018 served as a sniper in a Ukrainian territorial defence unit.

“In November 2025, the mercenary, motivated by money, returned to Ukraine and signed a three-year contract to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the FSB said in a statement. It also said that from 5 December 2025, he served as a sniper in Ukraine’s 91st Anti-Tank Battalion but deserted after not receiving the pay he had been promised.

In a published video of the interrogation, the man said he was born in 1976 in Frechen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He said he was promised 100,000 hryvnias (€2,000) for his service that he did not receive.

He did not say when he deserted, and he did not give his name in the video. The FSB is now deciding whether to open a criminal case against him for mercenary activity.

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