Germany Investigates Possible Russian Sabotage at Military Bases

A senior politician in Berlin reports that Germany is looking into possible Russian sabotage at the Bundeswehr facility in Cologne-Wahn and a NATO airport nearby in Geilenkirchen, where there were allegedly attempts to contaminate drinking water, according to Bloomberg.

Ulrich Fonrobert, a spokesperson for the German military, informed reporters during a press conference that they had discovered a cut in the fence around the Cologne base overnight, and a warning system had also revealed abnormal values in water quality. However, the responsible person or individuals have not yet been identified.

Donny Demmers, the NATO spokesperson in Geilenkirchen, reported that security personnel thwarted a suspect’s attempt to enter the site on Tuesday night. He added, “Because we knew what happened in Cologne, we checked our water facilities. They weren’t accessed by any intruders.”

Marcus Faber, who heads the defense committee in Berlin’s lower house of parliament, told Bloomberg that “the suspicion of sabotage is firming up. Further investigations will confirm my initial suspicions that Russia is behind this,” he said, adding that committee members are receiving updates on the probe.

It is curious that the Cologne location serves as a hub for the aircraft used by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his cabinet.

On Wednesday, the RND media group quoted Konstantin von Notz, the head of the parliamentary committee in charge of Germany’s intelligence agencies, saying, “There are cyber attacks almost on a daily basis. Broad disinformation campaigns aim to divide our society by promoting anti-democratic parties and individuals in Germany, Europe, and the USA, along with espionage and sabotage.”

As previously reported by the Financial Times, European intelligence agencies are concerned about Russia’s escalating sabotage actions around Europe, which include a series of clandestine and more open acts of aggression against critical infrastructure and residential areas. The experts see an urgent need for a Western coordinated response to these threats.