Munich court sends a man to jail for spying for Russia – DW – 10/30/2025

Police in south-western Germany say they found a drunk man in a butcher’s shop while he was inexplicably eating sausages there.

According to police in the Baden-Württemberg city of Schwabisch Hall, the 28-year-old man called them late on Wednesday night but was unable to tell them where he was.

Officers eventually found him a short time later in the sales area of ​​a closed butcher shop. The 28-year-old man had apparently fallen from the window of a nearby pub into the shop’s courtyard. Instead of calling for help, he entered the building – and began to feel comfortable there. According to police, he ate some sausages before finally calling them himself.

He was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Police initially could not provide further details about the man’s injuries, although it was believed he had hurt himself by falling from the window. A police spokesman said in the morning that the man was not able to answer questions, and added that he was being questioned on suspicion of property crime.

The branch manager of the butcher shop, who was alerted by police just before 1am on Thursday, expressed surprise. “The guy was just lying there in our shop,” Nadja Merkel said.

He said the pigeon net on the building had been torn, the door of the butcher’s shop had been damaged and two sausages had been taken out of the cold storage.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, with talks expected to focus on Turkey’s role in international conflicts such as Gaza, Syria and Ukraine.

Merz and Erdogan will also discuss defense industry cooperation between their two countries and other bilateral issues. However, Merz is unlikely to address the domestic political situation in Türkiye.

With Germany and Europe needing to retain Turkey as a strategic partner, Berlin is likely to look the other way as Erdogan asserts his power in the country by any means, including undemocratic means.

It is worth noting that this is Merz’s first official visit outside the EU and the US – another positive signal towards Ankara. Following the invitation of the Turkish President’s wife, the German leader is also taking his wife Charlotte Merz with him.

DW’s Rosalia Romanić is one of the journalists traveling with Merz.

Germany’s economy has stalled again, with gross domestic product seeing zero growth in the third quarter after a contraction in the spring, according to official data published on Thursday.

Weak demand in key industries such as automotive and chemicals has hurt Germany’s industrial output, and high US tariffs have slowed its exports. At home, consumers remain cautious as prices of everyday items like food remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

Investment in equipment, including machinery and vehicles, increased between July and September, but exports declined compared to the previous quarter.

Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has promised to lead Germany out of recession through big increases in infrastructure and defense spending.

Jörg Cremer, chief economist at Commerzbank, said the economy was not gaining real momentum, adding that government stimulus measures were likely to support growth next year, although stalled reforms would not have any lasting impact.

Businesses cite high energy costs and bureaucracy as major barriers to growth. Unemployment remains a concern, with 3.02 million people out of work in August – the highest figure in a decade. Labor data released Thursday showed only a modest improvement in October.

A Munich court has convicted three men of spying for Russia, sentencing the main defendant to six years in prison for espionage, planning sabotage and prior involvement as a paramilitary fighter in eastern Ukraine.

Investigators claim he later spied for Russia while living in Germany between October 2023 and April 2024, plotting arson and sabotage against military sites and major railway lines with the help of two others. All three suspects denied the spying allegations, and insisted that their discussions were ironic.

The Munich Higher Regional Court also sentenced his two co-defendants to six months and one year in prison, both suspended on probation. Prosecutors had sought a suspension of eight years and eight months for the lead defendant and one year for each of the others.

Prosecutors argued that the lead defendant maintained close ties to Russian intelligence and that his associates knowingly participated in the activities.

Judges ruled that the 41-year-old had led the group and was part of a terrorist organization that fought against Ukrainian forces between 2014 and 2016. The suspect denied the allegation, claiming he was only in the area because of a relationship with a woman and was not involved in the war.

good day More from DW’s newsroom in surprisingly sunny Bonn thank you so much To join us.

In Munich, a court has convicted three German-Russian dual citizens of spying for Moscow, and sentenced the main defendant to six years in prison.

Judges found that the 41-year-old had fought for a pro-Russian militia in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2016 and later planned sabotage in Germany.

Prosecutors said the lead defendant had close ties to Russian intelligence and claimed others were knowingly helping him.

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