The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, has warned of the growing conflict between Russia and NATO, in an interview with the newspaper Handelsblatt published on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has no qualms, according to Faeser, and has been aggressive toward NATO members like Germany since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have experienced a change in internal security. Russia is fighting a joint war in Europe. It is clear that disinformation campaigns, acts of destruction and cyberattacks are controlled by the state,” he said.
But Faeser urged restraint and prudence in the response, saying “he did not believe that the limit of guilt of the NATO alliance would be exceeded. We must continue to take decisive action, but at the same time with prudence.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz always did something to prevent Germany from entering such a situation – “but we see that the hybrid threat situation is increasing. That is why we have to position and defend ourselves in a completely different way,” he said.
Ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, German security services and other EU partners discovered a massive Russian campaign of influence and lies, Faeser noted.
German authorities will take the necessary steps to deal with any such attempts to influence the upcoming German elections scheduled for February, and the domestic intelligence agency has established a team, he said.
When asked if Russia has stepped up its sabotage activities, Faeser said: “We are registering a huge increase. That is why important infrastructure must be better protected.”
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