exclusive
The alleged conspirators around Heinrich Reuss have said loudly MDR-Contacts with Russian government offices were sought more frequently in research than previously known. It’s about a letter to the Kremlin, the Russian Vitalia B. and secret meetings in Baden-Baden.
The letter is said to have been intended for Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov. Heinrich Reuß should bring the letter to a meeting with Nikolai U. in November 2022. A few days later, Reuss was arrested in a nationwide raid on the “Reichsbürger” milieu. Nikolai U. was supposed to pass the letter on to Peskov. According to the prosecution, Reuss is said to have asked about cooperation with the Russian Federation. It is unclear whether Peskov received the letter.
According to the Federal Prosecutor General, the Frankfurt real estate entrepreneur Reuss is said to have planned a coup. In addition to him, 26 other people are accused at the higher regional courts in Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Stuttgart. Investigations are underway against around 40 other suspected terrorists. The first trial is expected to begin in May. Reuss is accused of being a ringleader. Reich citizens deny the existence of the Federal Republic and fundamentally reject the free, democratic basic order.
Intense efforts
The suspected conspirators hoped that Russia would provide support for their overthrow plans. The meeting with the alleged letter carrier Nikolai U. is another example of the group’s efforts to get in touch with official Russian authorities. According to research by the MDR These efforts were more intensive than previously known.
Nikolai U. is 37 years old and temporarily lived in Hamburg. Ukrainian authorities accuse him of, among other things, “collaboration with pro-Russian terrorist organizations” and “participation in Russian propaganda activities against Ukraine.” He did not respond to a request.
Real estate dealer Reuß is also said to have met with alleged Russian contacts in Bratislava. Together with Rüdiger v. P. is said to have flown to the Slovakian capital in February 2022. Rüdiger v. P. is also accused by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office as a ringleader. In a chat with his sister, the former Bundeswehr officer is said to have described the meeting in Bratislava as “secret talks”.
In addition, files with tables were found on Reuss’ computer. One column was headed “Cooperation German Reich/Slovakia/Russian Federation”. A file with the identifier “Bratislava22.docx” was also seized. The real estate dealer’s lawyers did not comment on a detailed list of questions. Rüdiger v. According to the federal prosecutor’s office, P. is said to have headed the group’s military wing. His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
Reuss’s alleged partner, Vitalia B., is also accused of supporting a terrorist organization. Among other things, the Russian citizen is said to have been involved in the procurement of 14 satellite phones.
Meeting in Russian Consulate General in Leipzig?
After MDRResearch shows that the charges against her indicate that she was in contact with Russian “sleepers”. She is said to have met one on June 3, 2022 at the Russian Consulate General in Leipzig. Reuss is said to have refused to take part in the trip there, which had been arranged at short notice. B. is then said to have emphasized the importance of the meeting in a chat message (“no more time to sit around”) and drove to Leipzig alone.
Vitalia B. came to Germany in 2002 and studied art history in Heidelberg. After MDRDuring her research, she allegedly told investigators that she had been hired by Reuss as an art expert. However, there is suspicion that she should play an important role in the group. In a chat message from February 2022, Reuss is said to have told her that she should lead the “RUS department” after the planned coup. She is said to have reacted to this message with a heart emoji.
Meanwhile, the two were at the Russian Consulate General in Leipzig MDRInformation shared multiple times. Reuss and Vitalia B. are said to have been there on June 13, 2022. Official reason: a porcelain exhibition. The Federal Prosecutor General now believes that this claim has also been refuted.
After MDRAccording to research, a note from the Federal Intelligence Service can be found in the indictment against Vitalia B. According to this, BND information about the then Leipzig Consul General Dronov and Vitalia B. is said to suggest that the conversation in Leipzig and the content concerning the Reuss group must have been particularly about support from the Russian Federation.
The BND shared MDRInvestigative upon request with: “The Federal Intelligence Service generally does not comment publicly on matters that concern any intelligence findings or activities. This does not mean that any statement has been made as to whether the facts are correct or not.” The Russian embassy in Berlin said: “The embassy has no information on this.” Vitalia B.’s lawyer did not respond to questions.
The lawyers of the accused Johanna F.-J. Inquiries from the Lake Constance district were ignored. The former Bundestag candidate from the “Die Basis” party was supposed to become “Family Minister” under Reuss and was arrested in May last year.
Apparently meeting with the consul general at the time
She is also said to have sought contacts with Russian government authorities. She is said to have approached the now closed Russian consulate general in Frankfurt am Main. A corresponding meeting with the then Consul General Ivan Khotulev is said to have taken place there in mid-November 2022. She is then said to have met with Khoutlev twice more at the beginning of December, a few days before the raid – on two consecutive days, in two different hotels in Baden-Baden.
On MDRThe Russian Embassy said: “Russia’s diplomatic representatives do not interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states and do not take part in illegal actions aimed at destabilizing the situation in the host country.”