Three German-Russian men went on trial in Munich on Tuesday, where they denied charges of plotting sabotage attacks on military infrastructure and railway lines in Germany on behalf of Russian intelligence.

“He is not a spy, he is not a saboteur,” said a defence lawyer for the main suspect, believed to be the leader of the three. “He thought he could do a bit of acting and pretend to be a spy.”

The 40-year-old argued at the regional court that he had only hoped to earn money by being hired as an informer. He denied any links to Russian spy operations.

He further denied having fought as part of an armed terrorist organization in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2016, arguing that he was in a relationship with a woman in the region at the time but was never involved in military action.

The other two accused also rejected the allegations. “Our messages were often ironic, exaggerated or joking,” the 44-year-old co-defendant’s statement said.

The defendants are alleged to have collected information about an oil refinery in Bavaria and about the US military training area in Grafenwoehr.

In addition, they are said to have made plans for explosive attacks on buildings and infrastructure being used to support Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The case caused a stir when police in the German state of Bavaria arrested two of the men last year. More than 40 court hearings are scheduled until December 23.

Just last week, a similar case came to light when three Ukrainians were arrested in Germany and Switzerland. It is suspected that they were recruited by Russian authorities to carry out acts of sabotage in Germany.