Germany reports ‘significant increase’ in Russian espionage, sabotage

BERLIN

Germany on Monday reported a “significant increase” in Russian espionage and sabotage as a result of Berlin’s military support for Ukraine.

“As a strong supporter of Ukraine, Germany is increasingly becoming the focus of Russian sabotage and espionage. Russia wants to weaken our democracy,” the president of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Munch, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

He added there had been a “significant increase in suspected cases of sabotage and espionage. The number of cases involving Russian actors at the Federal Prosecutor General's Office has risen significantly.”

Munch also pointed to a clear increase in “hacktivist activities with links to the Russian state” in the cyber sphere, which was compounded by disinformation campaigns and drone activities.

However, “we have no evidence so far that the Russian state is systematically flying drones over Germany,” he added.

On Dec. 12, Germany summoned the Russian ambassador in connection with a cyberattack and disinformation campaign.

The government has attributed a major cyberattack and a disinformation campaign during the last federal parliamentary election campaign to Russia, and the Russian ambassador has therefore been summoned to the Foreign Office, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Giese told journalists in Berlin.

"The goal of this Russian cyber disinformation is clear: it is about dividing society and creating mistrust," he added.

According to Giese, these cyberattacks would also have political consequences, as they would “endanger (German) security.”