Germany’s intelligence agencies have officially identified Russia as the country’s main and most dangerous adversary during rare public hearings. Martin Jäger, President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), stressed that Russia is waging an active “shadow war” involving large-scale acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.
According to Jäger, Berlin’s substantial military and financial support for Ukraine has made Germany a central target for the Kremlin and the main obstacle to Russia’s hegemonic ambitions in Europe, Nacionale reported.
German intelligence officials expressed serious concern over Russia’s intentions to disrupt Western arms deliveries and intensify pressure on Ukrainian infrastructure during the winter. In response to Russia’s aggressive activities, intelligence chiefs called for expanded powers to collect and analyse information.
In his remarks, the BND chief warned that a hypothetical defeat of Germany and its allies would plunge the entire European continent into chaos.
Beyond the Russian threat, German intelligence agencies also highlighted Chinese espionage activities in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, as well as the dangerous rise of right-wing extremism within Germany.
Sinan Selen, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, pointed to the spread of radical youth networks, including within Germany’s armed forces.
In response to the proposed intelligence reforms, German critics have called for stronger parliamentary oversight to prevent the boundaries between intelligence activities and police powers from becoming blurred.
