Espionage, spy work, intelligence services: many people’s imaginations immediately start after their arrest in Bayreuth. But what do secret service employees actually do?
Two men are arrested for allegedly spying for Vladimir Putin in Germany and possibly even planning attacks to weaken military aid to Ukraine. Espionage, secret service, spy work – for many people, that’s when things start to go crazy in their heads. But what do popular ideas about espionage have to do with reality? Sophia Hoffmann is a professor of international politics and conflict research at the University of Erfurt and researches intelligence services.