Germany sees 'more aggressive' Russian spy activity

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the country's domestic intelligence agency, has said that Russian spying and disinformation operations inside Germany increased markedly in 2022, and they expect it will continue to do so this year.

In a new report published on Tuesday, the BfV said Russia was showing an increased interest in disinformation campaigns. China was also mentioned as one of the "main players" in spy operations in Germany.

"In the future, we can expect more clandestine and aggressive espionage operations by Russia, as well as cyberspace activities emanating from Russia," the report said, before adding that cyberattacks are "regularly aimed at obtaining information, but may also be aimed at sabotage or serve the purpose of exerting influence."

"Russia's war against Ukraine also means a turning point for internal security," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote in the report's foreword. "Especially in times of war, the leadership in the Kremlin relies on the work of Russian intelligence services."

"The BfV report once again highlights the dangers to Germany's internal security: espionage, cyber operations and attempts by foreign intelligence services to exert influence have become more unrestrained and sophisticated," said BfV President Thomas Haldenwang.

China's activity, meanwhile, was aimed mainly at gleaning information about Germany's industry, scientific institutions and military. "In 2022, suspected state or state-directed Chinese actors continued to perpetrate targeted cyberattacks against businesses, government agencies, and individuals, as well as against political institutions," the report said.

Rise in far-right extremism 

The BfV report also documented a rise in the number of far-right extremists in Germany, with the figure now reaching 38,800 — up from 33,900 in 2021 — of whom 14,000 were considered potentially violent. 

The agency also noted that far-right movements had changed the cover under which they operate in public: While at the start of 2022, the report found the far right was still instrumentalizing protests against COVID-19 protection measures, by the end of the year the far right was hoping to harness opposition to military support for Ukraine and a potential energy crisis.

Once these issues failed to find widespread resonance with the public, the BfV said, right-wing movements were once again hoping to stir up anti-migrant sentiment.

Nevertheless, Germany's mainstream far-right political party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is currently polling at 20% nationally, higher than it has polled in several years. The BfV estimates that some 10,200 of the AfD's 29,000 members are far-right extremists. 

Last year, the BfV classified the entire AfD as a "suspected case," meaning it would bring stricter surveillance measures against the party. The AfD is currently challenging the BfV in court over the decision. 

Though the BfV does not typically comment on political issues, Haldenwang was moved to do so on Tuesday. "We see significant currents within the party that oppose the free democratic basic order — what does that mean?" he told reporters at a press conference in Berlin.

"Maybe voters should look at that. It means that these parts of the AfD spread hatred and agitation against all kinds of minorities here in Germany, especially migrants, and parts of the AfD also spread antisemitic positions."

Haldenwang also said parts of the AfD were "very strongly influenced by Moscow."

Left-wing extremism also being monitored

Though Faeser and Haldenwang underlined that the far right still presented the biggest threat to German democracy, the BfV also recorded an increase in the number of left-wing extremists in Germany. The agency counted a total of 36,500 extremists last year, up from 34,700 in 2021, more than a quarter of whom were considered potentially violent.

Nevertheless, Haldenwang said the agency does have an eye on "small, clandestine groups that especially attack far-right extremists. But should also be concerned that they also see the state apparatus as an enemy, including brutal violence against police forces." He pointed out that a bottle containing flammable, explosive liquid was thrown during recent far-left protests in Leipzig, and that state prosecutors were treating this as attempted murder. 

One group that was not mentioned at all in the 380-page report was the Last Generation, the radical climate protest group that had been carrying out increasingly disruptive actions in public over the past few months. Despite the fact that the German police has conducted nationwide raids against the group, detaining several members before they could carry out interventions, Haldenwang said the BfV did not consider it an extremist group. 

"We see a very heterogenous picture in the movement of climate activists," he said. "En masse, we have people who campaign for more climate protection, who use their basic right to protest, which is under the protection of the constitution. On the other side, we have small groups that clearly act in an extremist way. The Last Generation moves somewhere in this range."

Haldenwang also said that though some left-wing extremist groups may try to infiltrate the climate movement, this was not currently the case.

Edited by: Rina Goldenberg

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