Russia uses blackmail and bribery to recruit spies in Germany. This situation occurred after EU countries expelled over 600 Moscow diplomats, according to the head of Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Thomas Haldenwang.
According to him, Russian intelligence services are spending large sums to hire agents in Germany.
"Russia is working hard to compensate for the German government's reduction in the number of Russian agents in Germany," Haldenwang added.
He specified that last year, Moscow paid approximately 400,000 euros to two German citizens who were caught spying for Russia.
"The agent fees show that Russia's services continue to have enormous financial resources with which to pursue their intelligence goals," Haldenwang explained.
The official added that Russian intelligence services mostly target Germans who live in Russia or regularly travel there, including German diplomats.
"As soon as they have compromising information about their targets, these services are not shy about employing aggressive recruitment techniques," Haldenwang said.
Background
Germany has repeatedly expelled Russian diplomats from the country. European states suspect that some Russian diplomats might be working for Russian intelligence services.
For instance, Berlin expelled 40 Russian diplomats in 2022 after the world witnessed the atrocities committed by Russians in Bucha.
Additionally, in early May, the UK decided to expel a Russian diplomat after it was revealed that he was an "undeclared military intelligence officer".