Concern for security in Germany after the arrest for spying for Russia of an official of the Bundeswehr Purchasing Office, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany and their civilian administration. On Wednesday, August 9, investigators from the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA) arrested an employee of the armed forces on suspicion of secret agent activity. German Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stressed the worsening security situation in Germany following the war in Ukraine. “The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has also changed the security situation in Germany,” Faeser told the Funke Group newspapers. “The threat of espionage, disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks has taken on another dimension,” Faeser said.
Yesterday the federal prosecutor’s office in Koblenz communicated the arrest of an employee of the German Armed Forces. The man was accused of having worked for the Russian secret services. He is said to have contacted the Russian embassy in Berlin and the consulate general in Bonn several times of his own free will and offered his cooperation. The case shows “that our security authorities are keeping an eye on Russian espionage in Germany and are adopting the appropriate countermeasures,” said the minister. “Our security agencies are extremely vigilant. We’ve joined forces and increased protections to address today’s threats. Especially in wartime, the Kremlin’s leadership relies on the work of the Russian secret services», Faeser explained again, underlining that, to counter the activities of Moscow’s intelligence in Germany, the Berlin government has taken drastic measures.
Already last December, an employee of the German Federal External Intelligence Service (BND) was arrested for allegedly disclosing state secrets to a Russian intelligence service. The man and an alleged accomplice arrested in January are under investigation for treason. Last year there was a case of a reservist in the Bundeswehr environment who was sentenced to probation for suspected intelligence activities.
