German authorities say hybrid attacks by Russia have risen sharply

Martina Rosenberg, president of the German Military Counterintelligence Service (Militärischer Abschirmdienst, MAD), said this in an interview with the DPA agency, Politico reports.

"We are talking about a dramatic increase in espionage and hybrid operations. The approach has become more massive and aggressive," Rosenberg emphasised.

According to the DPA, the number of incidents in which Russian involvement is suspected has doubled compared to the same period last year. Of particular concern to the authorities is that the scale and targeting of attacks has increased markedly.

Martina Rosenberg reminded that Germany remains a priority target for foreign intelligence:

"This is not surprising: Germany is the most important logistics centre for NATO troop movements and an active partner of the alliance. It is therefore always on the radar of foreign intelligence services."

According to published information, German navy facilities have recently become targets of sabotage. Cases of damaged cables, oil-contaminated water supply system and even metal shards in propulsion system elements have been recorded on the ships.

These events take place against the background of a general increase in the activity of Russian intelligence services in Europe. German authorities recall that even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow had already conducted covert operations in the country. Thus, in 2021, the German court expelled two Russian diplomats after the murder of a citizen of Georgia in Berlin, the order for which, as the investigation established, was made by the Russian security services.

The intelligence services are paying special attention to exactly how Russia finds agents of influence. According to Rosenberg, recruitment is increasingly taking place via the Internet. At the same time, those recruited often do not realise the whole picture and may not understand what they are involved in.

A typical example is the incident in Lithuania in March 2024. According to investigators, a Ukrainian teenager recruited online set off an explosion in an Ikea shop in Vilnius. Experts emphasise that this is a link in a wider chain of subversive activities carried out on EU territory.