Germany ‘under fire’ from Russia, says intelligence chief

Martin Jäger, during his prior role as German ambassador to Ukraine | File Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Berlin: Germany is “under fire” from Russia, the leader of Berlin’s foreign intelligence agency told lawmakers on Monday in a public parliamentary hearing.

“We must not sit back and assume that a possible Russian attack will not come until 2029 at the earliest,” said Martin Jäger, the chief of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). “We are already under fire today.”

The boundaries between peace and war are becoming increasingly blurred, said Jäger.

“At best, there is an icy peace in Europe, which can turn into hot confrontation at any time. We must prepare ourselves for further escalation of the situation.”

The comments in the Bundestag – Germany’s lower house of parliament – came after weeks of tensions on NATO’s eastern flank following several Russian violations of alliance airspace.

Germany is also on edge after a series of drone sightings over critical infrastructure, including Munich Airport, that have widely been attributed to Russia despite Moscow’s denials.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has warned on several occasions in recent weeks that Russia could be in a position to launch a military strike against NATO territory by 2029.

Jäger was speaking at a public hearing of the parliamentary control committee, which monitors the work of the federal intelligence services. The BND is one of Germany’s three intelligence services, along with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which focuses on domestic intelligence, and the Military Counterintelligence Service, which specialises in the armed forces.

He said the Kremlin wants to test the limits of the West by undermining NATO, destabilising European democracies and intimidating societies.

“Europe – paralysed by fear and rigidity of action – is to be driven into self-abandonment,” the intelligence chief said. Moscow’s aim is to make Europe, a greater economic power, dependent on Russia, he added.