"Thomas H." on Monday testified that "it was wrong" to share German state secrets with Moscow as the trial commenced in Düsseldorf.

Identified only as Thomas H., the 54-year-old went on trial in Dusseldorf on April 29 charged with conducting espionage on behalf of Moscow and leaking state secrets.

German prosecutors said on Monday that they had launched an investigation into a Russian citizen arrested on suspicion of stabbing two Ukrainian soldiers to death in southern Germany over the weekend.

A German former soldier on Monday admitted he had spied for Russia at the start of his trial, saying he wanted to avoid the escalation of the war in Ukraine.

An officer of Germany's Bundeswehr, suspected of supplying information to Russian intelligence agencies, will stand trial on 29 April. Source: European Pravda, citing Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa or German Press Agency) Details: Prosecutors allege that the defendant,

Be a supporter of autonomous journalism in Ukraine. Engage in this critical cause with us. Become an ally Offer your support In Germany, a past captain of the German army conceded to carrying out espionage activities for Russia,

The officer, with ties to the far-right AfD party, said he provided information to a Russian intelligence service out of fear of a nuclear escalation in Moscow's war in Ukraine.