The news on Thursday morning that two more alleged Russian spies have been arrested in Germany will make disquieting reading for Nato officials.
It is the latest spying scandal to hit Germany after the hugely embarrassing leak of a phone call between German air force officers discussing a potential delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which was intercepted by Russia.
It also follows the arrest and ongoing trial of a German intelligence officer who is accused of passing state secrets to Russia.
And, last year, UK citizen David Smith, a worker at the British embassy in Berlin, was jailed for 13 years after an MI5 sting caught him spying for Russia.
Today’s case involves two Russian-German citizens who were allegedly planning sabotage attacks on US military sites in Germany to undermine Berlin’s support for Ukraine.
That makes it arguably the most serious Russian spying case to be exposed in Germany since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
But it also reflects a high level of vigilance in Germany, which appears to have caught the suspects in an early stage of their attack plan, when they were carrying out surveillance on potential targets in Bavaria.
What is clear is that Russia views Germany as a prime target for its spying activities and seems to be planning much more daring attacks on Nato assets using its network of agents.
Germany remains on high alert for Russian espionage, as well as attempted terrorist attacks by Isis-K and Hamas-inspired lone wolves.
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