Russia is being forced to shell out hundreds of thousands to hire spies in Germany, according to the country’s equivalent of the MI5.
The expulsion of around 600 Russian diplomats in Europe in the wake of the unlawful invasion of Ukraine is believed to have mangled the Kremlin’s espionage operations in Germany.
This has seen Russia paying Germans €400,000 (£340,000) to spy for Moscow, as well as using blackmail, according to the annual report of the Office for Constitutional Protection (BfV).
BfV chief Thomas Haldenwang told a news conference: “Russia is working hard to compensate for the German government’s reduction in the number of Russian agents in Germany.”
The agency said two German citizens charged last August with spying for Russia had been paid an estimated £340,000 each for their work.
The report added: “The agent fees show that Russia’s services continue to have enormous financial resources with which to pursue their intelligence goals.”
When it comes to blackmail attempts, the organisation warned Germans travelling often to Russia or living there were particularly at risk of “aggressive recruitment techniques”.
Alongside working around the expulsion of diplomats, Russia is also proving able to find new ways to influence events in Germany following the ban of its state media channels, the BfV said. Some of these efforts, the agency said, have moved to the messaging platform Telegram.
Some of the most receptive to the inflence operations by Russia are far-right groups, some of which are embracing groundless conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine.
The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin in February 2022 proved to be a rude awakening for Germany, which had developed special energy and trade links with Russia over the years.