Germany’s intelligence agency says Russian, Chinese espionage increased in country

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s military intelligence agency (MAD) has said Russian and Chinese espionage has increased in the country, the Hamburg-based weekly newspaper ZEIT reported on Friday.

Both countries' secret services have been identified as the "most active espionage actors," according to the military intelligence service's annual report to the Bundestag, or German federal parliament.

"Since the beginning of the illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has positioned itself by supplying weapons, ammunition and equipment and training members of the Ukrainian armed forces in Germany and is conducting reconnaissance even more intensively by the Russian services," the report added.

MAD is the smallest of Germany's intelligence services, tasked with protecting the armed forces from espionage, defending against extremists, and conducting security checks on soldiers and civilian employees working in the country's military apparatus.

Last month, Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) warned that espionage, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns, particularly from China and Russia, "pose a serious threat" to the country.

Germany is increasingly becoming a target for foreign espionage, the agency said, amid mounting tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine and intense rivalries between Washington and Beijing.​​​​​​​