BND chief says Germany risks violent conflict with Russia as Estonia moves troops
Germany's intelligence chiefs warned Russia is waging a shadow war against Berlin, as Estonia moved forces closer to the Russian border, officials said Monday.
Germany's foreign intelligence chief told lawmakers that Germany risks being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia, as Estonia announced it is moving troops closer to the Russian border to prepare a more active defence posture, German and Baltic media reported Monday.
BND President Martin Jäger told a public hearing of the Bundestag's parliamentary oversight committee that "Russia is waging a shadow war against us," pointing to low-level intimidation operations against NATO member states, Tagesspiegel and WELT reported. No country currently poses as direct, comprehensive and concrete a threat to Germany as Russia does, Jäger said, adding that Germany has become a main obstacle to Russian ambitions for dominance in Europe.
Germany's domestic intelligence chief, Sinan Selen of the BfV, told the same hearing that Russia has shown it is willing to carry out sabotage and killings, and warned that "the confrontation has entered a new phase," Polsat News and Le Figaro reported. Selen pointed to an attempted attack at Halle/Leipzig airport in early August, where a drone packed with explosives was found near Ukrainian cargo planes, Tagesspiegel reported.
Separately, Estonia said it is shifting to a strategy of active defence and relocating part of its armed forces closer to the Russian border, Latvijas Avīze and 15min reported. Its 1st Infantry Brigade is moving from Tapa, about 130km from the border, to Jõhvi, roughly 50km away, while the country buys longer-range weapons including nine US-made HIMARS rocket systems and nine South Korean Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, Latvijas Avīze reported. "We have to start at the border and win the first battles," brigade commander Colonel Tarmo Kundla told the Financial Times, according to the Latvian paper.
Lithuania's LRT reported that Jäger does not expect a large-scale Russian attack on NATO territory, saying Moscow is more likely to test allied unity with actions below the threshold of full war.
What we know
- BND chief Martin Jäger told the Bundestag's oversight committee that Russia is waging a "shadow war" against Germany and that Germany risks being drawn into violent conflict with Moscow.
- BfV domestic intelligence chief Sinan Selen said Russia is ready to carry out sabotage and assassinations, citing a foiled drone attack at Halle/Leipzig airport in August.
- Estonia is relocating part of its armed forces, including its 1st Infantry Brigade, from Tapa to Jõhvi, closer to the Russian border, and buying HIMARS and Chunmoo rocket systems.
- Lithuania's LRT reported that German intelligence does not expect a large-scale Russian attack on NATO territory.
Why it matters for Europe
Jäger said support for Ukraine is a core German interest and warned of serious consequences if Russia wins the war, saying the conflict with Moscow would not end even if the war in Ukraine does. He said the war has entered a more dangerous phase since the summer, with increasingly brutal Russian strikes, while Russia also tries to block weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
Estonia's shift reflects a wider Baltic reassessment: officials concluded that retreating into forests and marshland to wear down an invader, then waiting for NATO reinforcements, could prove too costly, given how Russian forces have fought to hold captured ground in Ukraine. With a population of about 1.3 million, Estonia says it cannot afford to lose any territory, and is focusing on Narva, a border city with a large Russian-speaking population.
Sources
Reported by 19 reports from 15 independent outlets in 8 countries.
- WELT: Russland: „Deutschland in Gefahr, in gewaltsamen Konflikt zu geraten“ – BND-Chef schlägt Alarm
- Tagesspiegel: Anhörung: BND-Chef sieht Deutschland im „Schattenkrieg“ mit Russland
- Le Figaro: La Russie est prête à commettre des actes de sabotage et des assassinats, alerte le chef du renseignement intérieur allemand
- Polsat News: Szef niemieckiego wywiadu ostrzega przed Rosją. "Konfrontacja weszła w nową fazę"
- Latvijas Avīze: Igaunija maina savu aizsardzības stratēģiju un pārceļ daļu bruņoto spēku tuvāk Krievijas robežai
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What did Germany's intelligence chief say about Russia?
- BND President Martin Jäger told the Bundestag that Russia is waging a "shadow war" against Germany and that Germany risks being drawn into a violent conflict with Moscow.
- Why is Estonia moving its troops?
- Estonia is relocating forces, including its 1st Infantry Brigade, closer to the Russian border as part of a new "active defence" strategy meant to resist an invasion from the first day.
- Does German intelligence expect a Russian attack on NATO?
- No. Lithuania's LRT reported that Jäger does not expect a large-scale Russian attack on NATO territory, though he warned of sabotage and lower-level operations.
This article was written with AI assistance from 16 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.