Arrest in Koblenz
Suspected espionage in Russia: the case of the arrested Bundeswehr officer has alarmed politicians
The Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Armed Forces in Koblenz
© picture alliance / DPA
The suspicion is secret service agent activity for Russia: The case in the Procurement Office of the German Armed Forces highlights the dangers to security. Defense Minister Pistorius praises the work of the investigators – and wants to strengthen them further.
The arrest of a suspected spy working for Russia at the Procurement Office of the Bundeswehr alarmed the politicians. Against the background of the Ukraine war, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) warned on Thursday of a new dimension of the threat posed by secret service activities. The Union called on the federal government to clarify the extent of the espionage case by a Bundeswehr officer as quickly as possible.
“The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has also changed the security situation in Germany,” Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “The threat of espionage, disinformation campaigns and cyber attacks has taken on another dimension.”
On Wednesday, the federal prosecutor had arrested an employee of the Bundeswehr procurement office in Koblenz. He is said to have contacted the Russian embassy in Berlin and the consulate general in Bonn several times since May of his own accord and offered to work together. Once he is said to have passed on professionally obtained information.
Politicians are calling for clarification after a suspected espionage case
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) described the arrest as a success in the fight against espionage. “We are quick and vigilant. We must continue to consistently strengthen the personnel of the military counterintelligence service – especially in the field of counterintelligence,” said the SPD politician to the German Press Agency in Berlin. The cooperation between the intelligence services is close and has worked extremely well.
“In times of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, we have to adapt to the growing hybrid threat and continue to expand our counterintelligence in close cooperation with our European and international partners,” said Pistorius. And: “One thing is clear: we are wide awake and will make every effort to pursue every case with all severity.”
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“The case is a blatant exception,” said Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) in a video on the online service X, which was previously called Twitter. At the same time, Buschmann emphasized the topicality of the problem: “Espionage is not a dark memory from the Cold War – it is a relevant challenge.”
According to information from the “Tagesspiegel”, the man is said to have already attracted attention internally because of his sympathy for the AfD and its Russia policy. SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese saw “a pattern” in such cases, as he told the “Rheinische Post”. Often they are people “who obviously sympathize with the AfD and are very close to it and want to massively damage Germany’s security interests”.
“Apparently there are references to the AfD in the last cases of treason,” said the Greens parliamentary group vice and chairman of the parliamentary control committee, Konstantin von Notz, the AFP news agency. “It has to be checked to what extent there are disciplinary options for action here.”
Von Notz called for a “completely new understanding of counter-espionage and a keen awareness of the problem of information relevant to secrecy”. Greens defense expert Sara Nanni spoke out in favor of having the case examined by the parliamentary control committee in the Bundestag.
The Union demanded comprehensive clarification: “The federal government is now required to quickly clarify and provide information on the extent,” demanded defense politician Florian Hahn (CSU) in the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Allegation against Bundeswehr employees is secret service agent activity
The Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) awards armaments contracts worth billions every year. In the course of the Ukraine war and the reorientation of the Bundeswehr to national and alliance defense, the tasks of the mammoth authority with around 12,000 employees have grown significantly again. It must now also accelerate the reordering of ammunition and weapon systems that were handed over to Ukraine by the Bundeswehr.
The portal Business Insider reported that the man should have had access to sensitive data. Accordingly, he worked in a department that deals with the procurement of technology for electronic warfare, reconnaissance and evaluation of secret information.
The exact allegation against the arrested employee is secret service agent activity. In particularly serious cases, this can be punished with a prison sentence of up to ten years.
It is not the first case of alleged espionage for Russia in a key government agency in Germany. In December, an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) was arrested for allegedly providing information to a Russian intelligence service. Unlike in the current case, he and an alleged accomplice arrested in January are also being investigated for treason. This offense occurs, among other things, when state secrets have been betrayed.