A German sniper who deserted the Ukrainian military after failing to receive a promised payment has been detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the agency announced on Wednesday.
In footage released by the agency, the man said he had served with German forces in Afghanistan between 2004 and 2010, took part in fighting in Somalia from 2006 to 2008, and later fought as a mercenary in Syria between 2008 and 2010.
The former Bundeswehr soldier said he then served as a sniper with Ukraine’s 25th Territorial Defense Battalion near Donetsk between 2016 and 2018, alongside fighters mainly from Britain and Georgia.
He later moved to Switzerland before returning to Ukraine in November 2025 to sign another three-year military contract the following month. The man said he held the rank of corporal and served as a sniper.
“After signing the contract, I was promised a payment of 100,000 hryvnias ($2,200). However, I did not receive this money and was forced to flee the Ukrainian armed forces,” he said in the testimony.
The FSB released copies of the German national’s military documents and contracts, with his identity concealed, as well as photographs showing him alongside other fighters. The agency said he could face criminal charges for mercenary activity under Russian law.
The detention comes a week after the FSB apprehended Swedish national Freddy Mikael Stalkrantz Lindholm in Russia’s Pskov Region. According to the agency, he crossed the border illegally to carry out sabotage and terrorist attacks on Russian military facilities, posing as a prospective recruit for the Russian Army.
Lindholm previously commanded a drone unit in Ukraine’s Aidar battalion, which Russia has designated a terrorist organization. He faces charges of illegally crossing the border, while investigators are considering additional charges related to terrorism and mercenary activity.
US investigators have also reportedly uncovered a scheme in which Mexican drug cartels sent their members to Ukraine to gain battlefield experience and paid officials close to Vladimir Zelensky for their “training,” Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said on Tuesday.
Kiev has increasingly turned to foreign fighters as its military struggles with manpower shortages, draft evasion, and desertion. In March, then-Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov identified the recruitment of more foreigners as one of the measures aimed at tackling Ukraine’s mobilization crisis.
At least 20,000 foreign mercenaries have fought for Kiev since 2022, Russian diplomat Yulia Zhdanova told the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation earlier this month, saying most came from the US, UK, Canada, and Georgia.
Moscow has repeatedly pursued criminal cases against foreign fighters fighting for Kiev, including prosecutions in absentia, and has warned that mercenaries are not entitled to prisoner-of-war protections under the Geneva Conventions.
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