Mother calls espionage case against son a terrible misunderstanding

The mother of an 18-year-old Ukrainian accused of espionage in Denmark says her son never intended to act as a spy and was caught in a “terrible misunderstanding”, DR reports.

The woman, who is in Latvia, said her son had travelled to Aalborg to visit a friend. She told DR in written messages on Telegram that he was distressed and that she hoped the evidence would show what the two young men believed they were doing. DR has not named her because of a ban on naming her adult son.

DR reported Wednesday that the 18-year-old and a 21-year-old Ukrainian had responded to a Telegram post offering a free Sony television and microwave. The men travelled to an address in Aalborg and, according to the charges, took photographs of defence company MyDefence for a Russian intelligence service and sent them via Telegram. Both deny the charges.

The mother said her son had told her he was going to collect the items. Before the case became public, she had posted in a large Telegram group used by Ukrainians in Denmark to share information, saying she believed the offer was a trap after she could no longer reach him as usual.

She told DR that she has since spoken to her son and that he is safe and well, though still being held. She said her greatest wish was for him to be released and for the charges to be dropped.

DR said it had communicated with the mother only in writing and could not independently verify her full account of her son’s circumstances in his home country or his reason for visiting Aalborg. The broadcaster said information from several sources confirmed that she was in Latvia and had spoken with her son after his arrest.

The two men’s arrests were upheld for three days after a court hearing behind closed doors. Police were due to either release them or bring them before a judge again by Friday. PET and Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen have warned about social media posts offering money or other rewards for small tasks, such as photographing defence companies or infrastructure.