UK Edition
Germany’s spy agency fears that Moscow was able to turn one of its agents in the months following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, it has emerged.
The agent, who worked for Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND, is believed to have had access to secret information about the Ukraine war from Britain’s GCHQ spy agency and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US.
The alleged double agent, identified only as Carsten L in accordance with German privacy regulations, was arrested on suspicion of treason in Berlin last Wednesday. He was remanded in custody after appearing before a judge.
Security sources are now investigating the possibility that the agent was blackmailed into betraying his country, German broadcaster Tageschau reported.
If confirmed, the recruiting of an agent in the aftermath of the invasion in February would represent a major coup for Russia and a blow to Western intelligence.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the intelligence operative had passed “state secrets” to a Russian spy agency.
“The accused is suspected of state treason,” prosecutors said in a statement. “In 2022, he transmitted information that he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to Russian intelligence services.”
He may have been turned by the Russians through blackmail, German media reported on Monday.
Neither the BND nor federal prosecutors would comment on the claims, but previously said the investigation was ongoing.
‘Particularly alarming’
Commenting on the arrest last week, Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice-chancellor, called the case “particularly alarming”.
The alleged double agent was a senior official in a surveillance unit of the BND, according to news portal Focus Online.
It said that one of his responsibilities was to analyse information obtained through wiretaps and he also had access to wiretap operations by other Western security services, including in the UK and US.
Wolfgang Kubicki, the vice chairman of the FDP party, a member of the ruling coalition, said he was concerned that the scandal could affect ties between the BND and its counterparts overseas.
“If information could get to Russia from the BND, that will make cooperation with our partners even more difficult,” he told Handelsblatt, a financial newspaper.
German security agencies have warned for several years that Russia has stepped up its efforts to penetrate intelligence circles.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, German authorities have conducted several investigations into Russian espionage activities and expelled dozens of Russian diplomats.
“With Russia, we are dealing with an actor where we must reckon with its ruthlessness and willingness to be violent,” said Bruno Kahl, the head of the BND intelligence agency.
Last month, a German man was handed a suspended sentence for passing information to Russian intelligence services while working as a reserve officer for the German army.
In October, Arne Schoenbohm, Germany’s cyber-security chief, was sacked after a television satire programme broadcast allegations that he had ties to Russian intelligence services.
The last time a German intelligence employee was arrested for treason was in 2014 – but back then it was for betraying secrets to the CIA. In 2016, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. The episode strained relations between Berlin and Washington.