German security services are investigating whether Russia was behind a surge in terror attacks by migrants in the run-up to last month’s parliamentary elections, Britain’s The Telegraph newspaper has reported.
Three attacks occurred in the two months immediately prior to the vote.
Did far-right benefit?
A German security source told The Telegraph that intelligence services are investigating the possibility that these individuals were recruited by Russia, with the ultimate goal of boosting support for the anti-immigration and pro-Russian, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The attacks appeared to coincide with dips in the party’s popularity.
Any attack perpetrated by a migrant would result in the voting public re-focusing on Germany’s problem with migration, a key talking point of the AfD. Meanwhile, an election victory by the pro-Russian party could have upset Berlin’s support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
Ultimately, the AfD won a record 20% of the vote, making it the second-largest party in parliament. The victorious conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) also ran on a hardline approach to immigration, but like all other parties, ruled out a coalition with the far-right.
‘Sabotage gigs’
“We know the Russians are using second-hand agents, little guys on the street” to make it more difficult to understand who is behind the attacks, a German security source told The Telegraph, adding that some criminals suspected of being recruited by Russia cracked under questioning.
Moscow’s use of the criminal underworld to wage its hybrid war against Europe is so widespread that some German officials cited by The Telegraph compared it to a “gig economy” for “sabotage and terror.”
While the German security services are cautious about proclaiming that Russia is indisputably responsible for recent terror attacks, other European countries are more forthcoming.
Poland and Lithuania, both NATO and EU members and strong supporters of Ukraine, have accused Russia of perpetrating acts of sabotage on their soil, often employing immigrants and refugees, including Ukrainians.
Ukraine itself has been struck by a string of bombings allegedly plotted by Russian intelligence, in some cases resulting in the deaths of the bombers. Moscow has also been accused of resorting to blackmail to recruit operatives.
