German prosecutors investigate Berlin-area weapons cache linked to Russian espionage

German authorities are investigating a weapons cache discovered in a forest near Berlin, which intelligence officials suspect was placed there for agents to carry out attacks on behalf of Russian intelligence services. The discovery, made public on August 21, 2026, has prompted federal prosecutors to open a formal inquiry and seek the extradition of a suspect arrested in Romania.

The cache was found in woodland straddling the border between Berlin and the state of Brandenburg after Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), received a tip toward the end of last summer. Investigators recovered two loaded and operational handguns along with ammunition stored in a professionally constructed hiding place, a method described as reminiscent of Cold War-era "dead letterbox" tradecraft.

Rather than immediately removing the weapons, specialists rendered them unusable, reportedly fitted them with GPS trackers, and placed the site under sustained surveillance for months. No one returned to retrieve the firearms, leading investigators to believe the operation was abandoned. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed the...