Germany could be pulled into armed conflict with Russia – BND chief
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Head of the German Federal Intelligence Service Martin Jäger (Photo: Oleksandr Medvedev/NV)
Germany risks being drawn into a violent conflict as Russia intensifies an increasingly aggressive “shadow war” against European democracies, BND chief Martin Jäger warned, Reuters reported on Oct. 5.
“The confrontation with Russia that we are facing has taken on a new, even more dangerous dimension. Germany is at risk of being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia — the attempted terrorist attack in Leipzig is just one example,” Jäger said, describing Russia as a country waging a “shadow war” and saying the threat of terrorist attacks against targets in Germany remains “real and immediate.”
The BND chief said Moscow was prepared to use force to achieve its goals and that Russian intelligence operations in and against Germany were becoming “increasingly aggressive.”
“Russia is testing our resolve and closely watching how we deal with this situation. From the Kremlin leadership’s perspective, any sign of hesitation encourages it to further increase pressure on Germany,” Jäger said.
At the same time, he said there were no signs of an imminent large-scale Russian attack on NATO territory. However, Moscow could resort to lower-intensity military action, including in the Baltic states, he said.
Jäger stressed that Germany must prepare for further interference and intimidation attempts, including threats of a nuclear strike.
“Moscow is counting on our weakness. We must stand up to it,” he said.
Jäger said Moscow was seeking to force Germany, Ukraine’s largest donor, to end its support for Kyiv.
“Russia is determined to bring Ukraine to its knees this winter. We must expect Russian attacks of a ferocity and brutality that we have not seen before,” the BND chief added.
On Sept. 24, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, said the alliance was stepping up intelligence sharing in response to a series of acts of sabotage and other incidents believed to be linked to Russia.
The same day, Denmark’s military intelligence service said there was a “small but growing risk” that Russia could launch a limited military attack against one or more neighboring NATO countries in the coming months.
Earlier, intelligence chiefs from Czechia, Latvia and Sweden also warned that Russia could intensify sabotage operations in Europe in the coming months.
On Oct. 2, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said Russian intelligence services had been ordered to step up their activities in European Union and NATO countries. The operations are part of preparations for hybrid activities aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and weakening NATO’s capabilities.
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