The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution expects Russian propaganda and intelligence activity to intensify in the coming months. “Russia is using, in particular, European energy supply issues as a hybrid tool,” the special service said on Wednesday, August 17. According to her, the Russian authorities are trying, through the targeted dissemination of false information, to increase the fear of the inhabitants of Germany in the face of a possible catastrophic shortage of energy and food resources.

“There is likely to be further growth of Russian propaganda in the extremist environment and the stimulation of conspiracy narratives to divide our society,” the agency noted. Furthermore, it expects the Russian state to further intensify and adapt intelligence activities in the political and military spheres to changing circumstances.

High potential for manipulation by extremists

According to the intelligence service, the problems of the war in Ukraine and its consequences for Germany’s economy and German imports generally have a high potential for manipulation by extremists. The agency notes how various groups are “increasingly focusing on this set of themes” and using them as tools to achieve their goals. This applies to both left and right extremists, as well as violators of the constitutional order who do not belong to either group, as indicated below.

However, according to department head Thomas Haldenwang (Thomas Haldenwang), it is currently not possible to predict the scale of possible future protests. “The task of the department of constitutional protection is to monitor whether opponents of democracy use legitimate protests for their own purposes,” he said. At the same time, there are still no signs that indicate the emergence of anti-state protests across the country or riots related to the use by extremists of the themes of the war in Ukraine or rising prices, added the head of the special service.

Berlin strengthens internal security

Earlier, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced possible attacks on gas terminals and other critical infrastructure in Germany amid ongoing conflict over Russian energy supplies to Europe and growing concerns over the upcoming heating season. . Berlin admits the possibility of “attacks targeting the energy sector or attempts by extremists to use legitimate protests for their own ends, as was the case during the coronavirus crisis,” she said in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

At the same time, Feser pointed out that 1,000 new jobs have been created in the Federal Police this year, and budget cuts in the area of ​​internal security are not expected. She explained that the threat from the Russian Federation led to changes in Germany’s internal security policy. “We must protect ourselves from large-scale disinformation campaigns and cyber attacks from Russia,” the minister stressed.