German counterintelligence chief Haldenwang: Russia seeks to expand its influence abroad
Thomas Haldenwang. Photo: Fabian Sommer / Globallookpress.com
The head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, said in an interview with the Funke media group that Russia has plans to expand its influence abroad and is actively seeking this, reports TASS.
He pointed out that counterintelligence experts noted the attempts of the Russian side to influence the election campaign in the Bundestag. In particular, false reports were spread about some individuals, including the Green Party candidate Annalena Berbock.
“We notice that Russia has stepped up its actions. In general, we can say that such campaigns did not have any effect, ”Haldenwang said. In his opinion, espionage is increasingly becoming a demonstration of force, a similar situation is observed in cyberspace.
In the light of the verdict in the case of the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin in 2019, “it became clear to what kind of harsh methods Russian structures resorted to abroad,” added the head of the German counterintelligence service.
On December 15, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock announced that Germany was declaring two Russian diplomats persona non grata. This decision is connected with the conviction of the Russian citizen Vadim Sokolov (Krasikov) in the case of the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin in 2019. Killed – a former field commander who fought against Russia during the second Chechen war on the side of Shamil Basayev's militants.
