German Spy Chief Sees ‘New, More Dangerous’ Threat From Russia

Germany’s foreign intelligence chief said the country has become a prime adversary in a “shadow war” with Russia and risks being drawn into conflict as the Kremlin’s military ambitions grow.

Martin Jäger, the head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, the BND, said the threat from Russia had taken on a “new, more dangerous quality” that presented the prospect of Europe’s largest economy becoming involved in a “violent conflict.”

“Russia sees us as a major adversary because we do not accept Russia’s revisionist, expansionist policies and the war of aggression against Ukraine — because we oppose Russian intimidation of our allies in the Baltic states and elsewhere in Europe,” Jäger told lawmakers in a public hearing on Monday in Berlin.

The comments came a day after Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a trip to Kyiv, where he promised to press on with German military support for Ukraine with a weapons package and aid for the energy sector. His visit and talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took place as Russian drones hit a bridge in the war-scarred capital.

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The German leader, who has come under pressure domestically, warned that only a stable German government will secure continued aid for Ukraine and thus stability for Europe. Germany has become the biggest military supporter for Ukraine since the US has decreased its support.

Once-warm relations between Berlin and Moscow have deteriorated significantly this year, with Merz’s government accusing Russia of being behind a failed drone attack at an airport in Leipzig in August. The German Foreign Ministry announced the closure of Russia’s consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in Berlin. Russia responded by announcing the closure of branches of Germany’s Goethe Institut.

“Germany has become a major obstacle to Russian hegemonic power projection in Europe and thus a target for Russian actions,” Jäger told the Bundestag parliamentary control committee, which oversees intelligence operations.

The spy chief said President Vladimir Putin’s war effort over the last 4 1/2 years had created a dynamic within Russia that made it difficult for him to end the invasion without paying a political price.

“Putin has passed the point where he could simply halt the attack on Ukraine without jeopardizing his power base at home,” the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service said. “He needs to demonstrate a success in Ukraine that, from a Russian perspective, justifies the immense sacrifices made so far.”