German prosecutors called on Tuesday for a jail sentence of three and a half years to be imposed on an officer in the German military with far-right political leanings who has confessed to spying for Russia.
"The charges have been confirmed to the full extent," a federal prosecutor told the Dusseldorf higher regional court.
The captain, who had joined the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at around the same time as his spying activities, had offered his services to Russia with the aim of providing the Russian military with an advantage by betraying sensitive information.
His treason had been aimed at countering Germany's military support for Ukraine, as the systems he worked on had also been supplied to Ukraine, the prosecutor said. He had done this in the awareness that his actions would endanger lives.
Defence lawyer Marvin Schroth said in mitigation that his client had destroyed in just four days what he had spent years building up. "Four days of treason during which he crossed red lines – four days of total failure," he said.
The accused's media consumption had gradually shifted to the Telegram messaging service and the TikTok video service while he was going through a challenging time in his work. He had been exposed to fake news and quotes taken out of context, his lawyer said.
Schroth rejected the sentence called for by the prosecution as too long, but did not suggest an alternative.
In his concluding statement, the accused said that the past year had been a personal nightmare. "This is the biggest bullshit that I have created in my life," he said, adding that he should have sought medical help for depression caused by overwork earlier.
Sentence is to be passed on May 27.