A wave of sabotage incidents, likely backed by Moscow, swept across Germany on the eve of the elections as perpetrators vandalized hundreds of cars in an attempt to compromise the Greens.
This was reported by Spiegel, Ukrinform saw.
The inquiry learned that a group of young people, aged 17, 18 and 20 holding passports of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany disabled vehicles by filling exhaust pipes with mounting foam. They also vandalized cars, leaving graffiti on over 270 vehicles across four federal lands, with the aim of leading the people to believe that the Green Party followers were behind the incidents.
However, the magazine reports, citing law enforcers, the latest series of sabotage incidents is actually masterminded by Russian actors. The perpetrators were recruited via an online chat and received several thousand euros in rewards.
The goal is to compromise the Greens’ candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, to undermine the party’s public approval ratings, as well as to sow discord among the Germans.
The investigation is underway; none of the suspects have been arrested yet; two of them have fled Germany.
Instead of using professionally trained spies, Russian intelligence is increasingly exploiting amateurs, often younger people with the criminal record, the article says.
As reported earlier, Russian intelligence has been running hybrid operations against Western nations in recent years, ranging from espionage to sabotage, as well as disinformation campaigns in a bid to influence elections.
The Green Party is known for its demands to increase military aid to Ukraine. One of its leaders, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, has visited Ukraine repeatedly since the start of the full-scale war.
Source: Russia could stand behind sabotage efforts in Germany to undermine Greens - media
