Although their numbers are likely to increase
EX-BND chief against expulsion of Russian spies
4/16/2022 4:43 am
The federal government is expelling 40 Russian diplomats who it accuses of espionage. The former president of the BND takes a critical view of this approach, even though the Kremlin is apparently expanding its secret service activities in Germany due to the Ukraine war.
The former President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Gerhard Schindler, assumes that Russia is stepping up espionage in Germany given its war of aggression in Ukraine. “In Germany, as in other European countries, there have been ongoing Russian espionage activities since the Cold War,” Schindler told the newspapers of the editorial network Germany. An increase in Russian intelligence activities has been observed for some time.
“When military conflicts are combined with economic sanctions, it is obvious that intelligence activities will also increase,” explained Schindler. “We are certainly not at the end of this development.”
Serious statements about the number of Russian spies in Germany could not be made. Except for the Russians themselves, no one knows for sure. “The spies known to the federal and state offices for the protection of the constitution are just the tip of the iceberg.” The federal government recently expelled 40 Russian diplomats from Germany, whom it accuses of espionage. Several other EU countries had previously proceeded in a similar way.
However, Schindler is skeptical about the approach: “Every identified spy is a plus for the German security authorities.” You can observe this spy, understand his movement profile and monitor who he is communicating with. “If you send him home now and new ones come for him, you’re back at the beginning again: You don’t know whether a new cultural attaché is also a spy or an ordinary diplomat,” explained Schindler. It is therefore not an advantage for counter-espionage to expel identified intelligence officers. Nevertheless, it can sometimes be politically necessary to set such signals.