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Berlin (German news agency) – Russian spies are said to be on the Tinder dating platform. As the “Welt am Sonntag” will write, citing “security circles”, the agents there are specifically on the lookout for profiles of Bundeswehr soldiers and politicians in order to win them over as sources of information.
This modus operandi was recently warned of at a conference in southern Germany attended by military personnel from several NATO countries. When asked, the Military Shielding Service (MAD) confirmed “that members of other intelligence services (e.g. Russia) use social media to establish targeted contacts with members of the Bundeswehr and to try to skim them off or, if necessary, initiate them”. Tinder is also a relevant platform. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the activities of Russian agents in Germany are at the same level as during the Cold War. “In particular, the circumvention of sanctions, the procurement of proliferation-relevant goods and technology for one’s own defense industry have come into focus,” said the BfV of the “Welt am Sonntag”. And further: “In addition to classic agents disguised as diplomats, this also includes traveling agents or illegals whose true identity is concealed.” It is expected that Russia will expand cyber attacks in particular. Most recently, hackers paralyzed the websites of ministries and police stations with so-called DDoS attacks. According to CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter, Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe. Germany’s infrastructure is so vulnerable because counterintelligence capabilities have been reduced. The retired colonel calls for a change of course: “In the field of cyber defense, we must finally create structural and legal conditions to develop cyber deterrence and cyber diplomacy at a tactical and operational level.” This includes active cyber defense. The danger posed by Russia’s services would also have to be combated “through a visa ban for tourists, through a massive security check of so-called mobilization refusers” and further expulsions. Benjamin Strasser (FDP), Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, considers the current protection of official secrets to be incomplete. Radicalization processes among employees in particular are gateways for espionage recruitment: “Such officials must be better recognized as part of regular security checks and consistently removed from the service,” Strasser told the “Welt am Sonntag”.
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