According to Reuters, German Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned on the 12th that Germany is facing a ‘shadow war’ whose impact extends far beyond the Cold War era. He stated that this threat highlights the need to strengthen Germany’s domestic intelligence agency—the Federal Constitutional Protection Agency (BfV).
Doblinter at a press conference held in Berlin by the Federal Constitutional Guard, stated: “We are witnessing a shadow war today that has far-reaching goals, which go far beyond anything seen during the Cold War.”
For several months, officials from many Western countries have been claiming that Russia is carrying out sabotage operations, cyber attacks, and other forms of hybrid attacks across Europe, with the aim of weakening European support for Ukraine. Russia, on the other hand, claims that these accusations are baseless and are the product of anti-Russian hysteria.
Dobrit said: “Its clear purpose is to undermine our stability—to fundamentally shake our stability.” However, he did not directly name Russia.
His remarks coincide with the warning issued earlier this month by the head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND). The head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency had previously warned that Germany was facing the risk of violent conflicts with Moscow.
According to the BBC, the head of MI5 said on the 13th that the agency is currently investing more resources in dealing with foreign national security threats than during the Cold War, and referred Russia as the "number one threat".
Sir Ken McCallum, head of MI5, warned that the threat from foreign adversaries has tripled over the past decade. MI5 now faces a situation where “our efforts to combat terrorism and respond to national security threats are essentially on par in scale.”
During his annual speech at the headquarters of MI6 in London, he also warned that threats from Iran and "extreme right-wing terrorism" were increasing.
McCallum also said that MI5 has ‘discovered and stopped terrorists who tried to use artificial intelligence’, including those who combined artificial intelligence technology with drones. He warned that Britain must remain ahead of emerging threats such as new types of biological weapons.
This officer from the military intelligence five places expressed that Russia is launching a mixed war while taking extreme care to avoid triggering NATO's collective response. He stated that if the Kremlin crosses this red line, it will be "foolish action."
McCallum said that Russia has always avoided engaging in 'conventional military conflicts' with NATO, instead trying to disrupt the stability of European countries. At the same time, the progress Russia has made in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine is 'minimal, and it has come at an extremely heavy cost'.
He said that the successful identification and expulsion of Russian spies in the UK by MI6 has forced the Kremlin to rely on paid agents to carry out attacks.
He continued, “Since the invasion of Ukraine, nearly 1,000 people have been expelled, and Russia’s traditional network of secret activities has been almost completely destroyed. The Kremlin has very limited means available worldwide. Therefore, we see them looking for criminals and paying them to work for them.”
He added, “These are absolutely not actions taken by a parliament strategically positioned to gain an advantage.”
At the same time, McCallem warned that Iran is also expanding its mixed operations in the United Kingdom.
The head of the intelligence agency stated that in the past year, 50 people in the UK have been arrested for suspected involvement in activities related to Iran.
McKale's statement indicated that a significant portion of Iran's hostile activities targeted Jewish communities, but also included "more difficult targets, such as military facilities."
McCallum did not directly mention the arrest that occurred at the RAF Fairford base. British Prime Minister Andrew Burnham previously stated that a conspiracy suspected to target that base “is almost certainly orchestrated by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”.
