British court sentences embassy guard in Berlin who spied for years for Russia

An employee of the British embassy in Berlin turned out to be a Russian spy. He has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. This was reported by News Sky. The Russian agent said he did not mean any harm deliberately.

A 58-year-old man named David Ballantyne Smith pleaded guilty under the Official Secrets Act 1911 and 1920.

The court decided to sentence the spy to 13 years and two months in prison. However, the convict could serve his sentence in Germany as well as in the UK.

According to Judge Wall, who prosecuted the case, David Ballantyne Smith was able to gather “a considerable amount of material” to “damage British interests” and provided this information to a “hostile force”.

“Your job was to ensure the security of the embassy and the safety of its staff. This was the most obvious breach of trust placed in you,” the judge said during the televised sentencing.

According to the source, the spy took pictures of documents, took CCTV footage, and handed it over for the Russian Federation’s use. Among other things, the ambassadors’ correspondence with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was handed over.

As the court noted, such an act by the convict could have been detrimental to the UK’s international trade negotiations. The fact that it took place during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also significant.

We also wrote earlier

• Germany has detained double spy Carsten L. who may have been passing data on the situation in Ukraine to Russia. Investigators believe he might have been blackmailed.
• The Slovenian Intelligence and Security Service, together with the National Bureau of Investigation, has detected and arrested foreign nationals involved in espionage for Russia. They were working under false names.
• A spy was detained in Lithuania after being recruited by Belarusian intelligence services. A man named Mantas Danielish has Lithuanian citizenship. He was interested in databases of his compatriots and is now suspected of spying for Belarus.