German intelligence officers warn of hybrid threat from Russia, China
Foreign powers including Russia and China are actively recruiting agents in the private sector to carry out sabotage in Germany, intelligence officials warned on Tuesday.
At an annual security conference in Berlin, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) - Germany's domestic intelligence agency - warned that authorities and businesses must be equipped to ward off acts of sabotage and espionage.
BfV Vice President Sinan Selen said Moscow and Beijing are increasingly commissioning private actors to achieve their goals, instead of relying on security forces, state media and diplomacy.
Selen highlighted several examples of suspected sabotage in Europe in recent months, including an incident on a German warship, arson attacks in Lithuania and Poland, and a series of explosions of incendiary devices in packages.
Other hybrid attacks include a cyberattack on the Munich Security Conference in February by a pro-Russian hacker group.
The inspector general of the Bundeswehr - Germany's military - also called for action to repel Moscow.
General Carsten Breuer said the separation between internal and external security in Germany is a "gateway" for hybrid Russian attacks.
Looking further ahead, Breuer warned that Russia will be in a position to attack NATO territory in four to seven years.
Germany cannot bury its head in the sand while Russia steps up its production of tanks and ammunition, he argued.
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