German secret services warn of Russian espionage

The top personnel of the German secret services warned the population against naivety at a meeting of the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr) on Monday. The presidents of the three intelligence services emphasized that Putin had long since declared Germany an enemy.

“We are observing aggressive actions by the Russian intelligence services,” said Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution President Thomas Haldenwang. Espionage and sabotage by Russian actors in particular have increased in Germany – “both quantitatively and qualitatively”.

BND boss: Russia will be capable of attacking the West by 2030 at the latest

The head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Bruno Kahl, explained: “The Kremlin sees the West, and therefore Germany, as an enemy.” By the end of the decade at the latest, Russia will be in a position to launch an attack on the West, both in terms of personnel and material. “Putin will test the West’s red lines,” says the BND chief. Therefore, unity and defensive ability are important. It is to be expected that Moscow will try to divide NATO before an open military conflict.

The President of the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD), Martina Rosenberg, reported worrying spying attempts by foreign intelligence services against the Bundeswehr: “Be it to investigate German arms deliveries to Ukraine, training projects or armaments projects or to convey a feeling of insecurity through acts of sabotage.”

Rosenberg demands that the MAD needs more powers, including to effectively support the stationing of a combat-ready brigade in Lithuania. Ultimately, the service must also be able to protect the families of Bundeswehr members during their stay in the NATO state.

Russian sabotage – only chance prevented plane crash

In addition, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany narrowly avoided a plane crash when an air freight package was set on fire in July, which was allegedly initiated by Russia. It was only thanks to a lucky coincidence that the package caught fire while it was still on the ground in the DHL logistics center in Leipzig and not during the flight, said Federal Office for the Protection Chief Haldenwang during the public questioning in the Bundestag. Otherwise there would have been a crash. It is believed in security circles that the incident is related to Russian sabotage.

According to information from the DPA news agency, the happy coincidence was that the onward flight of the cargo package from the Baltics was delayed in Leipzig. The package contained an incendiary device that ignited and set a freight container on fire.

According to Haldenwang, if the plane had crashed over an inhabited area, it might have affected people who “sympathize with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his goals.”

BND boss calls for more powers

BND boss Kahl said he was seriously concerned about the severe restrictions on the powers of the German intelligence services. The BND needs “significantly more operational freedom” in order to be able to effectively fulfill its mission. He positively emphasized the expanded powers for self-protection as a result of Carsten L.’s case.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office accuses the BND employee, who is sworn to secrecy, and a businessman of treason in a particularly serious case. They are said to have given secret documents and information from the German foreign intelligence service to the Russian domestic secret service FSB in 2022. According to the indictment, they received money for this.

Since then, the legislature has helped to “close a gap in self-security,” says Kahl. This included better protection of classified information, as well as the ability to check employees’ bags, offices and vehicles. It was important that the BND informed important partners abroad about the case very transparently so as not to lose trust there.

The Bundestag committee, which is supposed to monitor the work of the three services, usually meets behind closed doors. The content of its meetings is generally secret. The management only publicly answers questions from MPs once a year.

Secret services: foreign opposition members in Germany under pressure

It’s not just Russian dissidents who feel under pressure in Germany, says Haldenwang. Opposition figures and people who are identified as supposed opponents by the secret services of China, Turkey or Iran are also sometimes under enormous pressure. The pressure has increased, emphasizes Kahl. In the case of Russia and China, it is enough to “have different opinions and stand out.”

Right-wing extremism is currently the greatest threat to German democracy, says Haldenwang. The greatest threat to internal security currently comes from Islamist terrorism. The propaganda of the Islamic State Khorasan Province group is particularly relevant for the radicalization of young lone perpetrators in this country – primarily on TikTok and Telegram. The war in the Middle East is acting like an “accelerant” here.