German military officer convicted of spying for Russia, sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison

BERLIN (AP) — A German court has convicted a military officer of espionage for passing internal documents to Russia and offering more. It sentenced him Monday to 3 1/2 years in prison. The 54-year-old defendant worked for the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support and had the military rank of captain. The court found that he acted of his own accord when he provided internal documents to the Russian consulate in Bonn in May 2023 to be forwarded to Russian intelligence. He also offered his cooperation and further documents from the German military, the Bundeswehr.