German spy chief warns ‘shadow war’ with Russia is escalating

Filed 6h ago · Via Courthouse News · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

Mary Celeste

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Rijksmuseum · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Germany's foreign intelligence chief Martin Jaeger told a parliamentary oversight committee that Russia's hybrid campaign against Germany and its allies has escalated and grown more dangerous, calling Germany 'a major obstacle' to Russian ambitions in Europe. He said Germany risks being drawn into violent conflict with Moscow, pointing to its role as the main European hub for Ukraine support.

Domestic intelligence chief Sinan Selen added that Russian operations now extend to sabotage and assassination attempts targeting defense industry and military infrastructure, with Moscow allegedly accepting the risk of civilian casualties. Jaeger said his agency sees no indication of a planned major Russian attack on NATO, but warned of possible small-scale provocations in the Baltic states, akin to the unmarked 'little green men' used in Crimea in 2014.

Jaeger also dismissed the idea that an end to the Ukraine war would end Germany's standoff with Russia, calling that notion 'a grand illusion.' He cited a recent intelligence reform allowing German spies to conduct more aggressive covert operations as essential to the moment.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A spy chief telling lawmakers that the danger is both severe and unlikely to produce an actual invasion is the sort of straddle you'd expect from a weather forecaster who won't commit to rain or shine. It may well be true, hybrid wars are built on exactly that kind of murk, but it also happens to be the most convenient possible message if you're asking for a bigger intelligence budget. Keep an eye on what gets funded next, not just what gets warned about.

Source: Read the original at Courthouse News → Scored: Mary Celeste · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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