Germany deports Russian spy who lived undercover for decades
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 3 June 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Germany deports Russian spy who lived undercover for decades, 3 June 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4dd15.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 03, 2015
Germany has deported a man convicted of spying for Moscow since before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Federal prosecutors said the man, known by the name Andreas Anschlag, was freed from prison on June 3 and deported back to Russia.
He and his wife, known as Heidrun Anschlag, claimed to be Austrians of South American descent and had lived in Germany since the late 1980s, allegedly using fake documents.
They were arrested in 2011 and later found guilty of transmitting secret EU and NATO-related materials to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
They were sentenced to more than five years in prison and fined 500,000 euros (about $550,000).
The couple, known only by the fake names on their passports, were allegedly planted by the Soviet KGB in the former West Germany in 1988 and remained to work for Russian intelligence after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Germany freed and deported Heidrun Anschlag in 2014 after she served half of her prison sentence.
Based on reporting by FR-online.de, Kommersant, AP, dpa, Reuters, and TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
