Following the ‘worst’ leak of British military secrets since the Cold War, Ukraine has warned that one Nato country has become awash with Russian spies.
Ukrainian national security adviser Oleksiy Danilov warned that Germany is full of a ‘new generation’ of Russian spies, putting officials in a vulnerable position.
He told The Times: ‘We have made multiple warnings to our German partners about the spy network of Russians that are very active in Germany.
‘It is well known the Russians are listening to conversations of German officials and we think this is not the last conversation they have.’
His comments come as a phone conversation involving Ingo Gerhartz, the Luftwaffe air force Lieutenant General, was intercepted and broadcast on Russian state television, divulging sensitive details which have already worried fellow Nato allies.
The call detailed British troops locations in Ukraine – and German officers on the call also implied Britain sent personnel to help train Ukrainian soldiers to operate storm shadow missiles.
But the intercepted call was not a surprise to Danilov, who told The Times that Ukraine had ‘drawn attention’ to the operation of a Russian spy network in Germany in ‘every meeting’ with German officials.
Danilov added: ‘I would like to emphasise we warned our German friends about that. I can assure you in Germany they [spies] feel very free-handed.’
Germany is no stranger to Russian spies – before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many spies operated throughout the country.
Danilov said: ‘We think Germany is very vulnerable to Russian influence and it is related to their … past heritage and the co-operation between Germans and Russians before the full-scale war in Ukraine.
‘There are a lot of Russians in Germany, it is not a secret, it is well known.’
In response to the unprecedented phone conversation leak, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said: ‘It is about using this recording to destabilise and unsettle us.’
He added that he hopes Putin will ‘not succeed’ in destabilising Nato with the release of the phone call.
Another person on the call appeared to discuss training Ukrainian troops in Germany, saying they were ready to return to Ukraine, and adding ‘the right course of action’ would be for the UK to ‘take over’.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the ‘very serious leak’ will be investigated.
