They worked at the Ministry of Economy, the key to ending Germany’s dependence on Russian gas
German intelligence services are investigating two officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs because they suspect they have been spying for Russia, the weekly ‘Die Zeit’ reported on Wednesday.
The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s internal intelligence agency, opened an investigation after an experienced ministry employee shared his concerns with the ministry, the weekly reported.
The ministry “cannot comment on individual cases,” said an agency spokeswoman, at the request of AFP. The spokeswoman added that in December last year the ministry’s new leadership “completely destroyed the pro-Russian policies that had been in place until the change of government”.
Germany wants to reduce its dependence on Russian fuel in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last February. The Ministry of Economic Affairs plays a key role in implementing this policy change.
The two officials attracted the attention of their colleagues by expressing “sympathy for the Russian position” on energy policy issues, particularly the decision to block the approval of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, according to Die Zeit. ‘.
The authorities examined their professional background in detail and discovered that one of them had studied in Russia. According to the report, the officials are said to have an “emotional closeness to Russia”, although authorities have “no clear evidence” that they have engaged in espionage or corruption.
Germany has been the scene of several Russia-related espionage cases in recent years. Recently, the press reported that German authorities had indications that Russian secret services had been spying on Ukrainian soldiers who were being trained in Germany in the use of Western weapons.
Source: La Verdad
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