German Military Counterintelligence Service warns: Russia-China intelligence threat intensifies

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Germany's Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) warned that the threat of hybrid attacks and the recruitment of so-called "disposable spies" (Low-Level-Agents) to perform tasks is increasing. Germany is a "priority reconnaissance target for Russian espionage activities," the agency's annual report said. The reasons are Germany's geopolitical position in Europe and NATO, the expansion of the Bundeswehr and the introduction of new weapons.

“Blended threats have intensified,” the report reads. Hybrid attacks refer to the combination of military, economic, intelligence, propaganda and other means, with the purpose of causing instability in other countries. These include cyberattacks, drone strikes, attempts to exert political influence, and disruptive attacks on transportation, energy, and telecommunications facilities.

An important tool of Russian intelligence is the so-called "legal presence," which is a secret intelligence stronghold within an embassy or quasi-official agency. News organizations were also mentioned.

The German Military Counterintelligence Service specifically pointed out that members of the Bundeswehr traveling to Russia or Belarus to visit relatives could easily become targets of the intelligence agencies of the two countries. As a result, individuals may be coerced or blackmailed by local security services.

Chinese espionage

The report also mentions China's attempts at espionage. The German military counterintelligence service believes that at least some of the covert reconnaissance of German military infrastructure - including through drones or access to Bundeswehr premises - can be traced to Chinese intelligence services. Chinese intelligence agencies also conduct espionage activities through some overseas Chinese.