The Federal Republic is concerned about Russian spies' preparations for attacks in Bavaria: How well positioned is Germany's counterintelligence system? Secret service experts warn of further cases.
Munich – Heinersreuth, a small village in Bayreuth, less than 4,000 inhabitants. Since Thursday, the world has known that Putin's connection even extends to the inconspicuous Upper Palatinate community, which could only be known for its hiking trails in the Fichtel Mountains, but not for espionage scandals and sabotage plans.
Dieter S., a German-Russian who is said to have snooped around on behalf of the Kremlin, lives in a simple terraced house, just around the corner from a sauna and a tile specialist store. According to
Spiegel
, the 39-year-old
spied on military facilities for possible bomb and arson attacks. Specifically, it is supposed to be about the US base in Grafenwöhr, just 50 kilometers from Heinersreuth.
“This is a kind of declaration of war” – Russian spy has lived in Bayreuth for a long time
In the hours after the arrest of Dieter S. and his accomplice Alexander J. (37), more and more details about the alleged Putin spies leaked out. Der
Spiegel
publishes photos showing Dieter S. in military uniform, with a rifle and walkie-talkie, traveling in Donbass. There he is said to have fought with separatists loyal to the Kremlin between 2014 and 2016. In Bayreuth he probably had contacts with a Russian motorcycle club. Meanwhile,
Bild
reporters are looking around Alexander J.'s apartment, also in Bayreuth, and talking to his parents, with whom the German-Russian is said to have lived in the children's room.
The case of the two men is attracting so much attention because it is the first of its kind: Kremlin agents in Germany, Russian disinformation attacks, cyber attacks - it's all happened before. But plans for attacks on German soil are new. “This is a kind of declaration of war in this hybrid war,” says intelligence expert Erich Schmidt-Eenboom to our newspaper. The peace researcher warns that there will be more such attacks. “Putin’s actions against us are becoming more and more brutal, more and more intense.”
Basically, Germany's anti-espionage defense system is "reasonably well positioned," says Schmidt-Eenboom - but they have mainly focused on cyber attacks. “It is much more difficult to counteract the recruitment of Russian agents on German soil.” The arrest of Dieter S. and his helper is probably due to tips from US secret services, which are already targeting Dieter S. given his past in Donbass had. “Germany suffers from limited capacities. There are 800 positions vacant in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution alone.”
Russia recruits nationalists in Germany: “Excellent gateway”
Russian secret services would have an easy time winning over Putin sympathizers in Germany. As early as 1992, a KGB officer said that Germans from Russia in the Federal Republic were an “excellent gateway” for Russian agents, explains the intelligence researcher. “Of course, you shouldn’t place all Russian-Germans under suspicion of espionage – but those who have been demonstrating for Putin with Russian flags since the Ukraine war quickly find themselves in the sights of the GRU (Russian military intelligence service, editor’s note).”
Secret services could also quickly identify “aggressive nationalists” in Internet forums and respond to them for espionage work. According to Schmidt-Eenboom, more than 100 Russian “pseudo diplomats” are still active in Germany – “these are agents under the guise of diplomatic work, many of whom urgently need to be expelled.”
Former BND chief calls uncovered espionage “tip of the iceberg”
The former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Gerhard Schindler, also fears further undiscovered cases following the arrest of the spies. The uncovered secret service activities are not a surprise, “but the tip of the iceberg,” he tells the Germany editorial network. Espionage and sabotage were part of the toolbox of Russian geopolitics, especially in times of war.
The SPD deputy parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese also wants to bring the issue into the traffic light government's upcoming budget negotiations. “The threat situation is acute,” he tells our newspaper. “Are our services up to date? Have we equipped them in the best possible way to effectively counter the dangers from Russia - disinformation campaigns, espionage, cyber attacks and even the payment of Russia-friendly and Kremlin-loyal AfD politicians?" All of this now needs to be checked.