Two suspected Russian saboteurs were arrested in Bavaria on Wednesday morning. German chief diplomat Annalena Baerbock has now summoned the Russian ambassador. The federal government does not want to be intimidated by Putin’s “terror strategy”.
The suspected agents are said to have spied for Russia and explored possible attack targets in Germany. According to the German Federal Prosecutor General, the two German-Russian nationals were involved in sabotage actions intended in particular to “undermine Germany’s military support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression.”
The German federal government has now responded to this. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has summoned the Russian ambassador to Berlin, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. No further information was initially provided.
Arrests have “enormous symbolic power”
“We know that the Russian power apparatus is also targeting our country,” said German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann of the FDP. He spoke to ‘Bild’ about a ‘new quality’ because of the supposedly planned explosive attacks. The arrests had “enormous symbolic power” and showed how strong democracy and the rule of law are in Germany. The Minister of Justice made it clear: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that Putin’s terror strategy does not stand a chance with us.”
Germany must respond defensively and decisively to this threat. Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) spoke about a particularly serious case of suspected espionage activities for Russia. She stressed: “We will continue to provide massive support to Ukraine and will not be intimidated.”
Does Germany have a spy problem?
It is not the first suspected espionage case to worry Germany: a former employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is currently on trial in Berlin. The federal prosecutor’s office accuses him and a businessman of treason in a particularly serious case. They are said to have given secret documents and information from the German foreign intelligence service to the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB in September and October 2022. According to the indictment, they received an ‘agent’s salary’ of 450,000 euros or 400,000 euros. The two Germans are trapped.
Last August, a professional soldier working at the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr was arrested in Koblenz. The facility is responsible for equipping the Bundeswehr with materials and weapons, as well as developing, testing and purchasing military technology. From May 2023, the man is said to have offered cooperation several times to the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
