Russian special services were activated in Germany

Russia's growing isolation from Western technology means there is a risk that Russia's intelligence services will increase pressure on Russians living in Germany to access German knowledge and technology, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, BfV) wrote on Tuesday, May 17.

Of particular interest are workers in the fields of industry and science who have Russian citizenship, the BfV warned.

Russian secret services will be able to get in contact with them first of all via diplomatic missions in Germany, which the Russians have to contact with, or when they travel to Russia, the government warns.

Pressure on relatives or acquaintances who have remained in Russia is not ruled out.

"In general, Russian security services are no stranger to such methods as threats and blackmail if necessary," the ministry said in a statement.

Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russians are increasingly leaving, including to Germany, both opposition representatives and employees of German or European companies that are downsizing or completely terminating their activities in Russia, the BfV stresses and suggests that employers and employees contact the agency in case of suspicious contacts from the Russian secret services.

Cyberattacks by Russia

Another threat in connection with the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia is cyber attacks by pro-Russian hackers, the BfV wrote.

According to the agency, the KILLNET group, engaged in DDoS attacks on German resources, became more active after the start of the war.

Resumed its work and another cybercrime group REvil, which was closed in October 2021. The ministry associates them with the emergence of new malware, including a ransomware that attacked the structures of U.S. IT service provider Kaseya, which affected more than 1,500 companies around the world.

Source: DW