The key facts

  • The FSB claims the detainee is a former Bundeswehr soldier and sniper who served from 1996 to 2010, including in Afghanistan and Somalia.
  • According to the FSB, he fought in Ukraine in 2016–2018 and returned as a 'mercenary' in 2025, then deserted over unpaid wages.
  • Germany confirmed it is reviewing the reports but refrained from commenting on the substance of the case.

Detention on Mercenarism Charges

Russia's FSB announced on Wednesday that it had detained a German citizen on suspicion of mercenarism, calling him an 'active member of the Ukrainian armed forces.' The detainee's name has not been disclosed; the agency published a short video in which he, according to the FSB, speaks German, as well as footage in which he is allegedly holding a sniper rifle.

The FSB's Version

According to the FSB, the man was born in 1976, served in the Bundeswehr from 1996 to 2010, and is a trained sniper. From 2004 to 2010, the statement said, he took part in missions in Afghanistan and Somalia, and later fought as a mercenary in the civil war in Syria. In 2016–2018, according to the FSB, he fought in eastern Ukraine against Russian-backed formations, and in 2025 he returned to Ukraine as a 'mercenary' and fought in the Donetsk region, after which he deserted over unpaid wages. The agency did not explain how or why the man ended up in Russia, or where and under what circumstances he was detained.

Berlin's Reaction

A spokesperson for Germany's Foreign Ministry said only that Berlin was aware of the reports from Russia and was working on the matter, but would not comment on the specific case and its details for now.

Context: Detentions of Foreigners and the Release of an American

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has detained hundreds of foreigners on charges of espionage, sabotage, and treason; a smaller number have been charged with mercenarism. Last week, the FSB announced the detention of a Swede who, according to the agency, commanded a drone unit and was detained while attempting to illegally cross the border in the Pskov region. Around the same time, a Japanese journalist was arrested on espionage charges, drawing sharp criticism from Tokyo. On Wednesday, Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher from the United States, who had been detained in 2024 on similar mercenarism charges, which he denied. The release took place during a visit by American negotiator Steve Witkoff to Saint Petersburg and after a series of concessions by Russia and criticism of Ukraine by US President Donald Trump. Trump stated there was no 'quid pro quo,' but later said that Hubbard would not have been released had he not eased sanctions on Russian diesel fuel supplies.