According to a western intelligence officer cited by FT, “The game of cat and mouse has returned.”
Another source stated, “Russian activities... are as high or even higher than during the cold war.”
A third official noted, “Russian intelligence is a huge machine and is back doing what it always did.”
Almost weekly, new covert operations are being uncovered, demonstrating the extent to which Russia’s intelligence agencies have infiltrated Europe since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
This apparent escalation in Kremlin-led intelligence operations reflects a newfound confidence among Russia’s spymasters following setbacks in early 2022.
Initially, Western agencies intercepted and disclosed Moscow’s plans for invading Ukraine. As Russian tanks advanced toward Kyiv, European capitals expelled 600 diplomats, including around 400 suspected spies. Additionally, several Russian “illegals” were exposed - agents operating without diplomatic cover.
Since then, Russia’s primary intelligence services — the GRU military intelligence, the FSB Federal Security Service, and the SVR foreign intelligence agency — have regrouped and refined their espionage tactics to support Russia’s conventional military operations.
Despite disruptions to their espionage networks in Europe and restrictions on Russian personnel working on the continent, the objectives of Russian intelligence remain unchanged: to gather Western secrets, exacerbate divisions within NATO, and undermine support for Ukraine.
However, their methods have evolved, with an increased reliance on “proxy” intelligence actors. Unlike before the war, when Russian nationals primarily conducted operations across Europe, today’s covert operations involve a variety of foreign nationals from politics, business, and organized crime.
As the second intelligence officer explained, “(Proxies) may not know that they work for the Russians; they could be criminals or other individuals who are paid.”
The Kremlin has also exerted pressure on Russian exiles and other opponents of the regime who fled abroad after the war began, seeking to co-opt them into their intelligence efforts.
Leaked conversation between German officers: what is known
A leaked conversation between German generals has surfaced, revealing discussions about supplying long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine and targeting the Crimean bridge.
Russian propagandists released the recording on March 1, which the German Ministry of Defense confirmed as authentic on March 2.
Germany announced on March 3 that it would investigate the leak, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz describing it as a “very serious matter.”
In response, on March 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to Moscow.
White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby has suggested that Russian propagandists aim to create a false narrative of Western division over support for Ukraine, portraying Russia as opposed not by the Ukrainian Armed Forces but by the “collective NATO bloc.”