The special services of Russia, China, Iran and Turkey remain most active in espionage against Germany, the country's domestic intelligence agency BfV said in its annual report, presented on Thursday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The special services of Russia, China, Iran and Turkey remain most active in espionage against Germany, the country's domestic intelligence agency BfV said in its annual report, presented on Thursday.
The 388-page 2019 Report on the Protection of the Constitution was unveiled at a press conference by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and counter-intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang.
"The Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey remain the main actors of anti-Germany espionage and influence. Domestic and external, as well as political and economic goals of these countries determine the main goals of the activity of their special services," the report said.
According to the document, Russian and Chinese special services are becoming increasingly active in cyberespionage against German state agencies. Such activities, the report notes, also threaten German businesses.
Russian intelligence activities, the report went on, target all areas of German policies that can potentially affect Moscow, especially the foreign and economic policy.
"The Kremlin continues its activity to exert influence through various channels," the document said, noting that Russia still opposes the EU sanctions "within the framework of its geopolitical ambitions."
The Russian special services are active in Germany's "politics, economy, science, technology and the military sector," the paper notes. German-Russian relations and Berlin's policy within NATO and the EU are issues of special interest for Moscow, according to the document.
Western countries regularly accuse Russia of interfering in their internal affairs, a claim that is firmly denied by Moscow as unsubstantiated. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly noted that an alleged Russian threat is being used to justify NATO's military buildup near the country's borders and deflect public attention from acute domestic issues.
