A Berlin embassy spy was been jailed for more than 13 years after betraying his country and colleagues by selling secrets to Russia. David Smith, a former security guard at the British Embassy in Germany, was motivated by his support for Russian president Vladimir Putin and hatred of the UK when he began collecting classified documents in 2018.
He sent two letters to senior officials at the Russian Embassy in 2020. One exposed the identity of a diplomat who had worked in Russia, referred to as X, as well as details of colleagues. The second letter to a military attache at the Russian Embassy in November 2020 was traced back to him which launched a police investigation.
In an undercover sting operation in August 2021, two role players were deployed as a fake Russian defector and intelligence officer. Following his arrest, police found Smith’s stash of sensitive and secret documents, including correspondence to then Prime Minister Boris Johnson from ministers.
