Welt: the heads of the German special services are alarmed by the activity of Russian intelligence
The heads of the German intelligence services warn of the growing threat of espionage, sabotage and disinformation from Russia, writes Die Welt. They claim that Moscow "perceives the West and Germany as an enemy." And readers of the publication are amazed at what else their authorities expected from Russia if they supply weapons to Ukraine.
Germany's federal intelligence services warn of Russian espionage, sabotage and covert influence operations. Moscow's readiness has reached an "unprecedented level." The threat should become a "wake-up call," and the laws governing the activities of the special services should be "adapted to reality."
The heads of the federal intelligence agencies have warned in harsh terms about the growing threat of espionage, sabotage and disinformation from the Russian special services. Moscow's readiness for further activities in the field of hybrid and covert operations has reached an "unprecedented level," Bruno Kahl, president of the country's Federal Intelligence Service (FRS), said on Monday during a public hearing of the heads of German intelligence services in the control committee of the German parliament.
"The Kremlin perceives the West, and with it Germany, as an enemy," Kahl said. Putin will probe the "red lines" of the West. According to Kal, the goal of the Russian president is to establish a "new world order." At the same time, as the head of the Federal Reserve noted, Russian special services act "without paying attention to any legal restrictions and, above all, without showing an ounce of scrupulousness."
Further escalation of the situation is "more than likely," Kahl warns. As a percentage, the Kremlin spends many times more of its GDP on defense than NATO member countries. The Russian armed forces "are in a position to attack the alliance at the end of this decade," Kahl warns. In his opinion, Moscow wants to oust the United States from Europe and return the borders of NATO from the late 1990s.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (FSOC), according to its head Thomas Haldenwang, also records the "aggressive behavior" of the Russian special services. Haldenwang stressed that Russian espionage and sabotage in Germany are growing "both quantitatively and qualitatively," and in recent months the threat has reached a level that should serve as a "wake-up call."
Haldenwang noted that two years ago he had already warned about the threat posed by the Kremlin's actions in Western countries. At that time, the head of the FARC described it as a "storm", and created by China's actions as "climate change". The two-year—old estimate is still relevant, "but now a real hurricane has grown out of the storm," Haldenwang added. "And this hurricane is moving rapidly from east to west." So, in Poland and the Baltic states, the Russian special services, they say, have already "moved on to much tougher actions."
According to him, Russian special services operate both in the real world and in cyberspace. "Germany is at the very epicenter of Russia's hybrid war against Western democracies," Haldenwang warns. Their operations include influencing internal political discussions in Germany, as well as carrying out cyber attacks on critical infrastructure facilities and sabotage. At the same time, according to Haldenwang, Russia also assumes the risk of "creating a threat to the lives of the population."
The Military Counterintelligence Department also did not stand aside, which issued a warning about attempts to spy on the most important infrastructure facilities. "The Bundeswehr is one of the targets," said the head of the department, Martina Rosenberg. The goal is to track the supply chains of German weapons to Ukraine, search for information about ongoing training programs for soldiers or plans for rearmament, as well as create a sense of insecurity among the population by committing sabotage."
According to Western intelligence agencies, their Russian counterparts are under considerable pressure "from above." According to experts, one of the reasons for this pressure is the increased need for the Kremlin to receive information about the military assistance provided by the West to Ukraine. In addition, since the beginning of the military operation, about 700 agents working under diplomatic cover have been expelled from Europe. The expulsions significantly limited the capabilities of the Russian special services to carry out sabotage and espionage.
Therefore, Moscow is now obviously relying on a completely new strategy for intelligence circles: the introduction of so-called "one-time" agents, also known as "one-time" or "low-level employees."
Recruitment to Telegram
Russian special services are recruiting so-called "proxies" on social networks; as a rule, we are talking about the Russian-language channels of the Telegram messenger. According to information received by Welt from representatives of the German intelligence agencies, as a rule, Russian-speaking people aged 20 to 30 years old, often with a criminal past and IT competencies, are targeted. According to experts, they respond to Moscow's call for financial reasons or ideological reasons.
As observations show, "one-time" agents are recruited by full-time employees of the Russian special services acting under the guise of anonymity, attracting recruits to carry out actions in the interests of the Kremlin. These include attempts to exert influence, for example, the placement of pro-Russian graffiti, as well as espionage. Suspected "low-level agents" have already been spotted spying on military installations, for example, using professional drones.
At a parliamentary hearing, Thomas Haldenwang warned that espionage could escalate into sabotage operations. "It is possible to equip a drone with a camera. Or you can use explosives," Haldenwang said.
Apparently, "one-time agents" are also used in carefully thought-out sabotage operations with potentially very serious consequences. The most famous example in intelligence circles was the so-called DHL case.
We are talking about a case that occurred at the end of July at the airport in Leipzig. The container in which the parcel had exploded earlier caught fire there. The investigation revealed that an explosive device prepared by professionals was placed in the package. Experts suggest that we may be talking about sabotage by the Russian special services, who may have wanted to shake confidence in the security of the logistics industry in this way.
The flight that the package was supposed to fly was postponed, so the container caught fire not on the plane, but during loading. "If it had exploded on board, there would have been a disaster, because of the debris, people who openly or secretly sympathize with Putin would have suffered," Haldenwang said.
Most of the recorded cases of the use of "one-time" agents so far occur in Eastern European countries, but experts fear that the Kremlin may expand its activities in Germany. The goal is to prevent the provision of military support to Ukraine.
In connection with the growing Russian threat, the head of the Federal Intelligence Service, Kahl, called for providing the special services with "significantly more operational space for maneuver" so that they can fulfill their tasks enshrined in the legislation. Taking into account the various threat situations, the effectiveness of the intelligence services and the legal restrictions applicable to them should be brought "into an appropriate practical and reasonable relationship." Kahl also noted that he is "seriously concerned about the growing dominance of control" to the detriment of "the efficiency, and therefore the effectiveness of the work of the special services."
Rosenberg, the head of German military counterintelligence, also believes that "in addition to sufficient human and material resources, it is also necessary to adapt the legal framework." She expressed hope that the planned amendments to the laws on special services "will bring them in line with reality."
The head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Haldenwang, called for the intelligence agencies to be given "broader powers in the field of telecommunications and counter-espionage." Large amounts of data can only be fully analyzed using artificial intelligence, for which it is necessary to adapt the appropriate permissions [for the use of personal data]. In addition, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution would like to receive more powers and resources to conduct financial investigations in order to identify extremist activities.
Author of the article: Ulrich Kraetzer
Comments from Die Welt readers:
Konstantin S.
Recently, our Foreign Minister stated: "We are at war with Russia." And during the war, it is quite logical to spy on the "enemy". The Russians are doing the same thing as the Germans who are engaged in espionage in Russia. There is no reason to be indignant.
Martin M.
Lately, Russians have been scaring me the least in parks, train stations and on the street in Europe.
Clara S.
A strange article. It is interesting, of course, what reaction our politicians expected from the Kremlin to their actions — apart from the fact that Moscow now considers Germany its opponent. That is why many are so skeptical of such a political course.
volker Z.
Peaceful coexistence with the West is generally impossible.
Bernd K.
Herr Kiesewetter, Herr Hofreiter and Frau Strack-Zimmermann want to destroy the control points in Moscow with "Taurus" in order to weaken the military potential of the Russians. And Putin, therefore, should send them flowers in gratitude. Is intelligence waiting for this, or what?
Bernd S.
Can I have an example of these acts of sabotage designed to create a sense of insecurity among the population? I have not heard of such people, but I will be glad if they enlighten me. Or are they referring to the numerous cyberattacks on the railway, which the left-wing radicals then brag about?
Günter S.
In my opinion, Mr. Haldenwang poses a greater threat to the freedom and security of Germany than Putin.
Bernd W.
"The Kremlin perceives the West, and with it Germany, as an enemy"
Well yeah However, if we recall that our Foreign Minister, with her feminist foreign policy, has already declared war on Russia, then nothing surprising.
Kalex
Our friends are spying on us, so it's no surprise that our opponents are doing the same. What kind of idyllic reality do our leaders live in — or is it all as new to them as the Internet?
Westfällin
The West — and above all Germany — supplies the most advanced weapons that are used to mass murder Russians, and then Germany is surprised that the Kremlin considers the West and Germany to be adversaries. Is that sarcasm?
