The actions of the Russian secret services in Germany are becoming more and more aggressive, with cases of espionage and sabotage becoming more frequent.
"We are witnessing aggressive actions by Russian intelligence services," said Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's civilian counterintelligence agency. According to him, Moscow's activities have reached an unprecedented level. "In particular, Russian espionage and sabotage in Germany is increasing, both qualitatively and quantitatively," he added.
"The Kremlin considers the West, and therefore Germany, as an enemy," warned Bruno Kahl , head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), referring to the war in Ukraine. Moscow's activities have reached an unprecedented level. "Putin is testing the West's 'red lines'," he said, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
According to Kahl, Russia invests much more in its military than NATO countries. By the end of this decade, its armed forces will likely be capable of attacking NATO territory in terms of personnel and materiel.
The head of the Federal Office for Military Counterintelligence (BAMAD), Martina Rosenberg , pointed out that the number of attempts to spy on the so-called critical infrastructure is "alarmingly" high and calls for increased vigilance. "The focus is on the Bundeswehr," says the official, who states that the Russians aim to destabilize societies as a whole: "It's about identifying German arms deliveries to Ukraine, training projects, weapons projects or inducing a sense of insecurity through sabotage," she said, according to the Rhenische Post .
All three intelligence chiefs warned that the security services must be equipped with the necessary skills to be able to avoid the danger.
Russia categorically rejects the claims of German intelligence chiefs. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the reasoning of German intelligence about the danger of a Russian attack is illogical and incorrect. Russia, unlike NATO, does not threaten anyone, and will do everything to ensure its security. "Russia is doing everything necessary for this and has all the potential for this," he said, quoted by TASS .
Last month, the head of the Czech Security Intelligence Service (BIS) warned that Russia was trying to restore the number of spies. Despite the expulsion of a number of Russian intelligence officers with diplomatic coverage, Russia's activities did not slow down much, and classic intelligence operations continued, the BIS report, cited by Czech media.
The Czech Republic has been one of the favorite targets of the Russian GRU military intelligence service since 10 years ago. We remind you that the GRU agents were involved in the explosions of the ammunition depots in Vrbetice in 2014, as revealed by the conclusions of the investigation of the Czech Intelligence Service.
