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The head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Martin Heger, has warned of a real danger of military conflict with Russia.
This was reported by Die Zeit.
Russia seeks to undermine NATO and destabilize democracies in Europe, Heger—who previously served as ambassador to Ukraine—stated during hearings in the Bundestag. “To achieve this goal, Russia will not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary,” warned the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence.
Heger strongly cautioned against underestimating the threat posed by Russia.
“We must not sit idly by and assume that a potential Russian attack will not happen before 2029. We are already under fire today,” he said.
According to him, the enemy knows “neither rest nor periods of calm.”
“In Europe, at best, there exists a frozen peace, which can erupt into hot confrontation at any moment. We must prepare for further escalation,” Heger said.
Russia’s actions “are aimed at undermining NATO, destabilizing European democracies, splitting and intimidating our societies,” Heger continued. To this end, Russia employs espionage, sabotage, provocations, targeted assassinations of opposition members, and the use of drones in foreign airspace. Heger described this as a “new level of confrontation.”
Heger spoke during public hearings in the Bundestag, where the heads of Germany’s three federal intelligence agencies publicly commented on current threat situations. At the meeting of the Parliamentary Control Commission, Heger, the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Sinan Selen, and the president of the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) Martina Rosenberg answered questions from parliamentarians.
In light of these risks, Heger called for expanding the powers of the Federal Intelligence Service.
Typically, intelligence agency leaders speak only at strictly confidential oversight committee sessions. However, once a year, the interrogation is held publicly during a plenary session of the Bundestag.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas stated that Europe is currently facing an extraordinary surge of attacks, and she, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will soon present a roadmap for European defense.
As a reminder, following recent incidents involving Russian drones and fighter jets violating national airspace, media reports indicate that NATO allies are discussing the possibility of a more decisive response to Russia’s increasingly provocative actions against Alliance members, including the potential for a military reaction.
Read also: FT: The U.S. Has Been Helping Ukraine Strike Russian Oil Refineries for Months
