Pro-Putin operatives with Kremlin connections have joined forces with fringe political movements in Germany in an attempt to steer Europe’s biggest economy away from supporting Ukraine.
“We must stop being vassals of the Americans,” right-wing German politician Markus Beisicht said at a Cologne rally of more than 2,000 people aimed at pressuring Berlin to stop supporting Ukraine, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday. .
The report says Beisicht is one of several people working inside Germany to achieve friendlier relations with Moscow amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, helping to lead a movement that has tried to tap into the deep emotional connections between Russia and Germany with the hope that the main economic power in Europe will change course.
Among those joining Beisicht are pro-Putin operatives who have been linked to Moscow and factions of Germany’s far-right movement, including a former Russian Air Force officer formerly named Rostislav Teslyuk who settled in Germany under the name by Max Schlund.
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Right-wing German politician Markus Beisicht attends a pro-Russian protest against sanctions and arms handover amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(Reuters)
In recent months, Schlund reportedly traveled to Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine and to Moscow for a conference at which President Vladimir Putin was the keynote speaker, a trip that was paid for by a Russian government agency.
The group is joined by leaders of Germany’s far-right factions, who often use aliases both in pro-Russian online posts and at rallies in support of Russia in recent months.
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“Destabilizing an adversary from within through subversion is part of Putin’s playbook,” Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and author of “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat,” told Fox News Digital. America”.
Germany is the largest economy in the European Union and a leader of what has been a united Europe, a delicate coalition of countries that have so far been staunch in their support for Ukraine. If any move to turn Berlin against Kyiv were to succeed, it would deal a critical blow to a country that has relied on Western military aid to survive under attack by Russian forces.
Elena Kolbasnikova, a pro-Russian rally leader and organizer from Ukraine, attends a rally in Cologne, Germany, December 4, 2022.
(Reuters)
“Russia seeks to fracture NATO but cannot use military force because it would trigger the Collective Defense Clause, starting World War III,” Koffler said. “So, on Putin’s orders, a special strategy called ‘indirect action’ was developed, which Russia uses to attack Germany and other NATO countries. It regularly infiltrates these countries with spies and recruits human assets within those governments to influence his policies in favor of Russia and Putin”.
Germany has sent more than a billion euros in humanitarian aid, military equipment and advanced air defense systems to Ukraine since the war began, and polls show that the majority of Germans still support Ukraine. But the poll also indicated that support for German military support for Ukraine may be waning as Berlin tries to tackle the sharp rise in energy costs facing its citizens.
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Germany also represents a unique opportunity for Putin to turn Europe against Ukraine, as the country shares deep historical and cultural roots and a population of several million Russian speakers.
The story comes after authorities in Germany foiled a coup attempt by far-right members of the Reichsbürger movement last month, with the government saying the “domestic terrorist organization” planned to overthrow the German government and install a “prince” related to the former German president. Royal family.
It has also been less than a month since an employee of Germany’s foreign intelligence service was arrested on suspicion of treason, and prosecutors allege the employee passed “state secret” information to Russian intelligence services.
According to Koffler, Russia’s experience in East Germany also gives the Kremlin an advantage in carrying out such a campaign.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)
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“Germany is a special case where the Russian intelligence services have a competitive advantage,” Koffler said. “While he was stationed in Germany during his KGB days, Putin ran spy rings and collected compromising information on government officials.”
As the war enters its second year, Ukraine will continue to depend on support from a united Europe and the US from Kyiv.
According to Koffler, Moscow laid the foundation for such success a long time ago.
“The Kremlin is now capitalizing on all the work done during the Cold War,” Koffler said. “Why do you think Germany has become dependent on Russian energy? Why has it always been soft on Russia? From an intelligence perspective, the answer is very clear.”
