2023-07-07 07:12:15
As a result of the war against Ukraine, the military counter-intelligence service warns of “considerably increased” Russian espionage against Germany. There are also “hybrid measures” in Bundeswehr areas of operation.
The Military Shielding Service (MAD) warns of increasing espionage from Russia and China against the Bundeswehr and Germany. “Since the beginning of the illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has positioned itself by supplying weapons, ammunition and equipment and training members of the Ukrainian armed forces in Germany and is being reconnoitred even more intensively by the Russian services,” says the annual report of the news service, from which the dpa news agency quotes.
The intelligence services of China and Russia have been identified as the “most active actors in espionage,” the military intelligence service continues. The interest of foreign services in the activities, intentions and measures of the Bundeswehr has “considerably increased”.
Diplomatic expulsion handicapped Russia
“The high number of Russian intelligence service employees deployed here confirms the outstanding value of Germany,” according to the MAD.
The fact that the federal government last year declared 40 Russian diplomats “undesirable persons” poses a particular challenge for the Russian services. This has weakened “well-established espionage activities” by Russian diplomats accredited in Germany.
However, Russian intelligence services will almost certainly try to compensate for a lasting impairment by using other methods of information gathering.
The intention and the ability to investigate and, if necessary, sabotage critical infrastructures of NATO countries is “a serious threat”. Russia is striving for a strong state and an information advantage over the West and NATO.
Russian campaigns in the Baltics
The MAD also describes “hybrid measures to influence public opinion” in the past two years. Not only public opinion in Germany, but also the population in the countries where the Bundeswehr is deployed – for example in the Baltic States – is the target of Russian influence measures.
The amount of false information deliberately spread has increased since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. These should permanently damage and negatively influence the trust of the population in the NATO contingents.
China spies on the Bundeswehr
China also plays a major role in the MAD annual report. The People’s Republic wants to secure a place as a world power by 2049 and is pursuing strategic plans such as “Made in China 2025” and the “New Silk Road Initiative”. To achieve this goal, “cyber espionage measures, hybrid measures and classic espionage operations are used,” warns the MAD.
Joint projects with the Bundeswehr are of particular importance for the Chinese intelligence services – military training aid, joint exercise projects and visits by delegations are given as examples. “As part of this training aid, which sometimes lasts several months, Chinese participants use the access to Bundeswehr offices and personnel intensively to obtain information,” warn the MAD experts.
MAD checks members of the Bundeswehr
In this context, the annual report criticizes a structural reform. The earlier merging of the domestic tasks of espionage and anti-extremism in one department proved to be “not expedient”, according to the report. The logical consequence was that the separation into two independent departments became necessary again.
The MAD is tasked with protecting the armed forces from espionage, defending against extremists in the Bundeswehr and security screening of soldiers and civilian employees. The Ministry of Defense had already published the number of cases of suspected extremism.
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