Russia’s FSB says it detained German citizen who fought for Ukraine

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Russian law enforcement authorities detained a German citizen who allegedly signed a contract with the Ukrainian army and deserted.

The man arrived in Ukraine in November 2025 and signed a three-year contract to serve in the Ukrainian armed forces, the agency said, but deserted because he had not received the money he had been promised.

The FSB did not say how he ended up in Russia. A criminal case has been opened against him on charges of mercenary activity.

According to the FSB, the man took part in combat operations in Afghanistan as part of the German contingent from 2004 to 2010. He also fought in the armed conflict in Somalia from 2006 to 2008, served as a mercenary in Syria from 2008 to 2010, and fought in eastern Ukraine on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces from 2016 to 2018, the agency said.

• On October 15, the FSB reported detaining a Swedish citizen who had allegedly fought in the Russia–Ukraine war on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces. The security service said the man was traveling to Russia “under the guise of enlisting in the Russian Armed Forces” to carry out sabotage at military facilities.