The U.S. and U.K. are looking into whether a communications intelligence officer exchanged information with Moscow.
According to Western authorities, a senior German intelligence officer detained on suspicion of spying for Russia had access to a large amount of top-secret materials related to Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to officials, the WSJ reported. He was also familiar with the methods used by the U.S. and its partners to gather this information.
U.S. and U.K. are estimating the damage to the intelligence
To what extent the information was exchanged with Moscow is being investigated by the prosecution. If so, it might have revealed Western intelligence-gathering techniques and capabilities and made Russia aware of its weaknesses.
Officials from the United States and the United Kingdom stated they were estimating the possible damage in Ukraine and abroad. According to a U.S. official, there was “grave worry” about the case.
The alleged spy worked for German intelligence, which collaborates with the U.S. intelligence
The alleged spy, who German authorities have identified as Carsten L., worked for the Federal Intelligence Service of that nation, which engages in electronic surveillance and collaborates with the United States National Security Agency and the Government Communications Headquarters of Great Britain.
The BND, or German intelligence service, has verified the arrest but has refrained from further comment due to concerns about national security. German intelligence does receive sensitive information from Western nations, particularly related to the war in Ukraine.
Alleged spy collected information about Russia’s war in Ukraine
German officials said that Carsten L. had contributed to collecting intelligence about Russia’s war in Ukraine, including data from German military satellites.
His section also handled classified information from Russia and Ukraine that other Western intelligence services had gathered through electronic hacking equipment, conversation interception, and satellite photography.
The BND, which has 6,500 employees and is situated in a highly secure facility in the heart of Berlin, has traditionally been active in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa in addition to focusing its intelligence gathering and analysis on Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
Moscow’s aggressive strategies in Europe highlighted
The newest evidence of Moscow’s aggressive strategies in Europe, where Moscow has been accused of killing political opponents, damaging infrastructure, and attempting to steal industrial secrets, is the Kremlin’s alleged breach of Germany’s most top-secret security agency.
German officials claimed earlier this year; the BND received a tip about the suspected spy from an allying intelligence body. The case was given to the federal prosecutor after an internal inquiry, who ordered the person’s detention last week.
German prosecutors try to identify the motives of the alleged spy
According to the investigation, there is no proof that Carsten L. got compensation from his handlers. According to those involved with the research, investigators are attempting to discover whether he was the victim of extortion or if his motivations were ideological.
According to multiple German officials, Russian entities, including criminal gangs sponsored by the Kremlin, have been employing cyberattacks to target critical German infrastructure this year, trying to hack into utilities, airports, and medical facilities. Russia has denied involvement.
