German Spy Agency Opens Hotline for Exiled Russians
The hotline is for exile groups and political dissidents facing intimidation, surveillance or physical violence from foreign operatives inside the country.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has launched a hotline specifically for exiled Russians and other political dissidents facing intimidation, surveillance, or physical violence due to foreign operatives operating within the country. The primary focus of this initiative is on threats originating from Russia, alongside Iran and China.
The brochure published by the BfV outlines the purpose of the hotline, encouraging victims of state-sponsored harassment to report incidents in order to assist intelligence analysts in identifying, mapping, and countering foreign operative networks in Europe. Information provided by affected individuals could directly aid ongoing investigations and potentially thwart active threats.
The agency's ability to track down those responsible is highlighted in the brochure, stating that both their own investigations and information provided by the individuals concerned enable them to take action. This initiative comes amid Germany's efforts to grant intelligence services new powers to hack communications and disrupt foreign adversaries to counter the growing threat of cyber and hybrid attacks.
The launch of the hotline occurs as Germany seeks to address challenges posed by actions such as Russia's Prosecutor General designating The Moscow Times as an undesirable organization, which has criminalized its work and put its staff at risk of prosecution. This follows an earlier unjust labeling of The Moscow Times as a foreign agent, aimed at silencing independent journalism in Russia. The agency argues that their work provides accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia and refuses to be silenced.
The journalists of The Moscow Times emphasize the need for support to continue their work, urging readers to contribute, starting from just $2 per month. They stress that every contribution makes a significant impact in defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
