Overview

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Bundestag that Vladimir Putin is testing boundaries through sabotage, espionage and murder to unsettle societies.
• DER SPIEGEL’s new three‑part podcast reports that Russian services increasingly rely on so‑called ‘Wegwerfagenten,’ low‑cost amateurs recruited online for covert tasks.
• SPIEGEL recounts that Lithuanian authorities have arrested several suspects alleged to have mailed improvised incendiary devices to the UK and other EU destinations in July 2024 on behalf of Russian intelligence.
• The reporting argues Russia’s operations now blend cyber intrusions with physical sabotage and information tactics rather than relying solely on hacking.
• In a separate analysis published Sept. 22, SPIEGEL portrays the U.S. Justice Department under President Trump as a ‘Ministry for Revenge,’ raising concerns about political retribution.