January 22, 2026
Deputy Russian military attaché expelled from Germany oversaw GRU spy network
As The Insider and Der Spiegel have learned, Germany has expelled Andrei Mayorov, Russia’s deputy military attaché in the country, accusing him of espionage
TL;DR
- Germany expelled Andrei Mayorov, Russia's deputy military attaché, for espionage.
- Mayorov was identified as the handler of Ilona Kopylova (Wiener), a Russian national arrested in Berlin.
- Kopylova led a consulting firm and met with German business leaders and politicians.
- She is accused of passing information gathered from events, including details about a NATO conference, to Russian intelligence.
- Investigators suspect Kopylova may have facilitated Mayorov's attendance at events under false pretenses.
- Kopylova also interacted with former German military personnel potentially for recruitment purposes.
- Searches were conducted at the residences of two former German Air Force officers connected to Kopylova, but they were not detained.