For Russians in Exile, Germany’s New Intelligence Hotline Is Worth Using
Russians have learned not to trust the security services. But we should accept this offer of help to combat transnational repression.
The German special services have launched a new direct intelligence hotline for Russians, Chinese, and Iranians living in fear of transnational repression, sparking interest among exiled Russians. The reporter, a former Russian inmate, recalls his own positive experience when he met German counterintelligence officials shortly after moving to Berlin.
These officials, mostly young and educated, approached him without suspicion, asking about his perceived threats and why he was imprisoned in Russia. They treated him as a potential asset rather than an enemy.
Germany has issued a special brochure for individuals encountering surveillance or threats from foreign states, highlighting tactics such as career intelligence service employees working under diplomatic cover, state-connected organizations, and the gig-economy agents. The new hotline is aimed at helping German counterintelligence understand the transnational networks operating in the country, as well as aiding the individual.
The hotline's implementation comes after the German government's recent intelligence services reform, granting foreign intelligence service (BND) and domestic agency (BfV) more surveillance capabilities. The reform allows security services to step in when police measures are insufficient. This change in attitude towards espionage and pressure on residents on German territory is due to the large-scale emigration of opposition figures, journalists, and activists from Russia.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times - Opinion's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
