Germany Could Be Pulled Into War With Russia, Intel Chief Warns

Germany risks being drawn into an armed conflict with Russia, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service warned on Oct. 5, describing Moscow’s activities against Berlin and other NATO members as a growing “shadow war.” “Germany is in danger of getting into an armed conflict with Russia,” Martin Jäger, president of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), said during a public hearing of the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Oversight Committee.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Russia is waging a shadow war against us,” Jäger said, pointing to intimidation attempts and other low-level hostile operations against NATO members. Such actions are “no longer an exception,” he warned. Jäger said Russia is imposing the confrontation on Germany because Berlin supports Ukraine and the Baltic states, with the latter all being members of the EU and NATO. “No other country currently poses such a direct, comprehensive and concrete threat to Germany” as Russia, Jäger said. He described Germany as the “main obstacle to Russia’s hegemonic power projection in Europe” and therefore a target for Russian actions. Russia is prepared to use force to achieve its goals, Jäger said, adding that this was behind the “increasingly aggressive activities” of Russian intelligence services in and against Germany. Other Topics of Interest Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia Russian officials insist there is no evidence that plague researcher Darya Shipilova died from plague, despite local media reports that she was fatally infected with pneumonic plague, the disease’s most lethal form. Russia’s ‘Shadow War’ The activities described by Jäger include sabotage, cyberattacks, airspace violations and disinformation campaigns. Sinan Selen, head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, said Russia was also demonstrating a willingness to carry out sabotage and assassinations. The threat spectrum includes disinformation and attempted attacks such as the recent incident at Halle/Leipzig Airport, where a drone equipped with explosives was found near Ukrainian cargo aircraft, Selen said. German intelligence services have already succeeded in preventing some attacks, Selen said, but warned that the situation continues to deteriorate. The officials’ warnings come as Germany and other NATO members have raised concerns about Russia’s ability to escalate its covert activities against European countries while continuing its war against Ukraine. ‘Supporting Ukraine is a core German interest’ Jäger said continued support for Ukraine remains a “core German interest” and warned against assuming that an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine would end the broader confrontation with Moscow. “It is a great illusion to think that the conflict with Russia will be over when the war in Ukraine ends,” he said. Jäger also warned that Russia’s war against Ukraine had entered a “new, very dangerous phase,” marked by increasingly brutal attacks since the summer. German intelligence and military officials have previously warned that Russia could eventually pose a direct military threat to NATO. Russia has repeatedly denied plans to attack NATO countries and has accused the alliance of escalating tensions with Moscow. The Bundestag is also considering legislation that would expand the powers of Germany’s domestic and foreign intelligence services, allowing them in certain cases to take operational action, including efforts to stop cyberattacks or disrupt weapons projects. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.