Russian special services have been making more attempts to recruit German nationals arriving in the country recently, Der Spiegel reports, citing the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
It is noted that the special services are trying to recruit German nationals as informants. Special attention is paid to diplomats, however, German nationals travelling with the aim of tourism or business are also considered at risk.
The report notes that Russian agents might be “handling” German citizens in a “tougher and more ruthless” manner. Special services may use compromising information or put pressure on their targets to make them cooperate, Der Spiegel says.
For its part, the German Foreign Office warns Germans travelling to Russia against using social media. “Critical statements regarding the current political events” may be “tied to unpredictable personal risks”, the news outlet points out.
Earlier, Der Spiegel reported, citing its sources, that the Russian special services had been monitoring Ukrainian military officers training to use Western weapons in Germany.
The German special services detected suspicious cars and small drones near the cities where the training exercises were held.
