On Friday, authorities placed a Greek individual in custody who is suspected of taking photographs of supply convoys for Russia in the port city of Alexandroupolis, according to a judicial source.
Alexandroupolis has become an important transit point for the American military, facilitating the movement of supplies into Europe as part of a mutual defense agreement.
The 59-year-old man, of Georgian heritage, was apprehended on Tuesday in the northeastern city and appeared before an investigating magistrate for a hearing on Friday.
A police source informed AFP that the accused, who claims to be a house painter, allegedly focused on military convoys destined for Ukraine, based on videos found on his mobile phone.
According to a police statement released Tuesday, the man “admitted to capturing photos and videos of military equipment, acting for someone else to whom he sent the footage using an encrypted messaging app.”
However, during the hearing on Friday, the suspect asserted that he had “not engaged in any illegal activities,” as stated by a judicial source, emphasizing that he neither possessed nor conveyed classified information.
He pointed out that “images of NATO equipment being transported have been published frequently in the media, both locally and online,” the judicial source reported.
The police source noted that the suspect, who served in the Russian military in his youth, had likely been recruited by Russia’s GRU military intelligence through an intermediary.
He reportedly told the police that he refused any payment and shared the footage willingly, according to the source.
If found guilty of espionage, he could face a prison sentence ranging from five to ten years.
Greek media outlets have suggested that the intermediary is a Georgian individual with connections to organized crime, residing in Lithuania.
This person was reportedly arrested in Lithuania back in March, although officials there declined to comment on the matter, according to Greek reports on Friday.
In 2023, it was revealed that a Russian woman had lived in Greece for several years under the identity of a long-deceased Greek child.
Disguised as a knitting shop owner in Athens, the suspected sleeper agent managed to escape the country before authorities could question her.
Despite its historical ties to Russia, Greece has been supportive of Ukraine since the onset of the invasion, strongly condemning Russian actions, hosting Ukrainian refugees, and providing humanitarian assistance and military supplies, which include infantry fighting vehicles, Kalashnikov rifles, launchers, and ammunition, as reported by Kyiv.
