Overview
- The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) said on Monday that it expects continued covert attacks and influence operations by Russia that are growing in intensity, tempo and reach.
- BfV president Sinan Selen described the campaign as a long-term hybrid attack and warned the threat is not only a reaction to Germany’s Ukraine policy but a wider push to reshape Europe.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt used the agency’s annual symposium to press the Bundestag to fast-track a government intelligence-reform package that would expand operational powers for German services.
- Officials pointed to recent incidents, including an explosive-drone event in Leipzig, as examples of below-threshold sabotage and influence activity that target Germany’s political and social cohesion.
- Experts and officials say the changes would aim to let services act more proactively against cyber intrusions, sabotage and covert campaigns while prompting debate over oversight and civil liberties.