German ex-officer convicted of selling procurement secrets to Russia - reports

(Reuters) - A former German armed forces officer was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Monday for spying for Russia, German media reported, in a case that highlighted Germany's vulnerability to the increasingly hostile neighbour to its east.

The former army captain, who was stationed at the army's procurement office in Koblenz, was accused of handing over classified documents to Russia's consulate in Bonn and embassy in Berlin.

"He passed on information that he had obtained in the course of his work with the aim of having them sent on to a Russian intelligence agency," prosecutors said in their charge sheet.

The procurement office's activities are especially sensitive at a time when the European Union's economic powerhouse is racing to re-equip and rebuild its long-neglected armed forces in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Germany is also playing a central role in equipping Ukraine militarily for its defence against Russia.

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Editing by Rachel More)