Trio convicted in Germany over attacks on cars ahead of 2025 elec

Three people were convicted in Germany on Monday over a series of attacks on vehicles in the build-up to the 2025 parliamentary election.

In the hearing at the Ulm Regional Court, the two men, aged 18 and 22, and the 21-year-old woman confessed and expressed regret for their actions, which investigators believe could have been part of a Russian sabotage campaign. 

The trio - from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania respectively - were convicted of jointly causing criminal damage. The two men are to pay fines of €3,000 ($3,360), while the woman - who only participated in one of the crimes - must do 50 hours of community service.

The group was found to have damaged numerous cars in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg and Berlin in December 2024.

They poured construction foam into the vehicles' exhaust pipes and placed stickers on the cars bearing the slogan "BE GREEN!" with a picture of the party's most high-profile figure - Robert Habeck, then Germany's economy minister.

Investigators believe it was a crude attempt to influence the 2025 federal election by harming the Greens.

The public prosecutor's office says the four were engaged to carry out the actions to influence the voting behaviour of the German population. In return, they were reportedly promised €100 ($113) for each car damaged.

One of the suspects told investigators that the acts had been commissioned by a man from Russia, believed to be a Serbian national.

However, the identity of the possible instigators remains unclear. The investigation into those behind the sabotage has been closed.

“They did not act out of political motives; it was all about the money,” said the judge in his reasoning for the verdict. The defendants had been “cheap tools.”

“They allowed themselves to be bought for money – without asking who was behind it or what their aims were.”

Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has warned of attempts by Russian intelligence services to recruit what they call "disposable agents" for espionage and sabotage in Germany.

Security authorities regard their actions as part of the hybrid threat to which Germany has been exposed, particularly since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine.