The German military intelligence suspects that Russian agents may have been spying on Ukrainian recruits training in Germany for frontline battles at home, media reported Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2022) The German military intelligence suspects that Russian agents may have been spying on Ukrainian recruits training in Germany for frontline battles at home, media reported Friday.
Germany has been supplying Ukraine with weapons from Bundeswehr's arsenal. Ukrainian troops are being taught to handle Western artillery at Bundeswehr's artillery school in Idar-Oberstein in Rhineland-Palatinate and at the US training area in Grafenwoehr in Bavaria.
The German magazine Spiegel cited insider sources claiming that the interest of Russian agents in these installations became "apparent" soon after the United States and Germany announced plans in spring to train Ukrainian soldiers in using PzH 2000 howitzers.
German authorities reported seeing "suspicious cars" outside of the training grounds and small drones with cameras flying over the sites. Intelligence sources also claimed Russians tried to scoop up mobile data of Ukrainian recruits with specialized electronic surveillance tools.
Spiegel gave no evidence to support these allegations. The article came out after German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser claimed that the conflict in Ukraine had added "a new dimension to the threat of Russian espionage, disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks."
Germany maintains that providing military training and lethal aid to Ukraine does not make it a party to the conflict, but Russia argues that any military cargo in Ukraine is a valid target. The Kremlin says that the flow of NATO weapons to the country will only delay a negotiated solution.
