BND head Martin Jäger says Moscow’s escalating ‘shadow war’ of hybrid attacks has placed Germany in growing danger as support for Ukraine continues.
Germany risks being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia as Moscow intensifies an undeclared “shadow war” of hybrid attacks against European democracies, the head of the country’s foreign intelligence service has warned.
Martin Jäger, president of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), told lawmakers on Monday during the annual public hearing of intelligence chiefs before the Bundestag’s parliamentary oversight committee that the confrontation with Russia had taken on “a new, more dangerous quality.”
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“Germany is in danger of being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia,” Jäger said. He cited an attempted attack at Leipzig Airport in August-which German authorities have attributed to Russia and linked to a Ukrainian cargo aircraft-as one example of the escalating threat. “No other country currently poses such a direct, comprehensive and concrete threat to Germany.”
Jäger described Russia as waging a “shadow war” against Germany and its allies, involving sabotage, cyber operations, drone incidents, intimidation and other hybrid tactics that fall short of conventional warfare but still constitute active aggression. He said Germany has become a primary target because it is a major obstacle to Russian power projection in Europe and serves as a central hub for European military and political support for Ukraine.
“If Germany were to falter, the whole of Europe-and Europe’s support for Ukraine-would begin to slide. That is the axis of attack Russia is targeting and pursuing,” he stated. Russian intelligence services, he added, operate in a “highly professional and reckless” manner, and the threat of attacks on targets inside Germany remains “real and present.”
While the BND currently sees no indication of plans for a large-scale Russian military attack on NATO territory, Jäger warned that low-level military activities could occur, particularly in the Baltic states. He referred to the possible use of targeted, smaller-scale actions similar to the unmarked “little green men” deployed during Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
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Jäger also cautioned that the war in Ukraine is entering an “extremely dangerous phase,” with Russia determined to intensify pressure on Kyiv during the coming winter through attacks of greater severity and brutality. Moscow, he said, is seeking to break European political support for Ukraine and to prevent decisions in Berlin and other capitals that run counter to Russian interests, including through renewed nuclear threats and further interference.
Sinan Selen, head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV), separately noted that Russia has shown a willingness to carry out sabotage and even assassinations as part of its campaign.
Russia has repeatedly denied any intention of attacking NATO countries. President Vladimir Putin stated earlier this month that Moscow has no plans to attack anyone, while warning that it would respond if subjected to aggression.
The warnings come amid heightened tensions linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine, now entering its fifth winter, and a series of incidents that Western governments have attributed to Russian hybrid operations across Europe. Germany remains one of Ukraine’s largest supporters, a role that intelligence officials say has placed it squarely in Moscow’s sights.