The President of the Thuringian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan Kramer, sees an urgent need for action in politics and society following the arrest of two suspected Russian spies in Bavaria. “We have to catch up and get our house in order,” Kramer told the editorial network Germany. “The most important thing is a change in awareness. It’s not about fear-mongering or paranoia.” Security starts with everyone – “whether they are government officials or politicians or private users of social networks and the Internet.”
According to Kramer, they were forewarned: “The Russian government has been building networks for decades and has repeatedly tested their impact and effectiveness in recent years.” These would now be used. “For a long time, people in politics and society refused to accept this and dismissed the warnings as unrealistic and fear-mongering. Now the necessary sensitivity and awareness to do everything necessary to ensure our own national security, both in terms of personnel and material, is missing.”
Last Wednesday, two German-Russian citizens were arrested in Bavaria who are said to have scouted out targets for possible acts of sabotage in Germany for Moscow. Both are in custody.
