Greek police have arrested a 59-year-old man in the northeastern port city of Alexandroupolis on suspicion of spying for Russia by photographing supply convoys.
The suspect, a Greek citizen of Georgian descent, was detained on Tuesday and appeared before an investigating magistrate on Friday, according to authorities and local media.
The man “confessed to taking photos and video of military material, acting on behalf of another person to whom he sent the footage via an encrypted application,” the police statement said in a statement released on Tuesday.
A police source said that the man, who claimed to be a house painter, was found to be monitoring military convoys bound for Ukraine, based on footage recovered from his mobile phone.
The source also revealed that the suspect, a former Russian army serviceman, was allegedly recruited by Russia’s GRU military intelligence through an intermediary.
According to Greek media, the intermediary is believed to be a Georgian national with connections to organised crime, currently residing in Lithuania.
Although Greece has longstanding ties with Russia, it has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.
The port of Alexandroupolis has served as a crucial hub for U.S. military logistics, facilitating the movement of supplies into Europe under a mutual defence agreement.
