Indictment Filed on Suspicion of Membership of the Foreign Terrorist Organisation ‘Donetsk People's Republic’ (DPR)

Year of issue 2024
Date 31.10.2024

On 18 October 2024, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against

German-Russian national Dieter S.

before the State Security Chamber of the Munich Higher Regional Court.

There are sufficient grounds to suspect the accused of participation as a member in a foreign terrorist organisation (section 129a para. 1 no. 1, section 129b para. 1 sentences 1 and 2 of the German Criminal Code [StGB]) Furthermore, he is charged with preparing a serious violent offence endangering the state (section 89 para. 2 no. 2, para. 3 StGB).

In essence, the indictment sets out the following allegations:

Between December 2014 and August 2016, Dieter S. served as a fighter in an armed unit of the ‘Donetsk People's Republic’ (DPR) in eastern Ukraine and was in possession of a firearm. DPR is a pro-Russian organisation which, starting in spring 2014, claimed control over the Ukrainian Donetsk oblast with the intention to break away from Ukraine and engaged in intense battles with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In doing so, the organisation repeatedly resorted to violence against the civilian population. The accused fought against the Ukrainian military for DPR, inter alia, at Donezk Airport in winter of 2014/2015 as well as in Marinka town in June 2015.

On 17 April 2024, the accused was taken into custody and has since been in pre-trial detention (see Press Release No. 19 of 18 April 2024). As far as the allegations of engaging in intelligence activities are concerned, the investigation proceedings will be concluded shortly.