The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has issued a warning about so-called "Disposable agents" who work for Russia. "For years now, we have been observing an increase in the activity of Russian intelligence services", said Vice President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Zinan Zelen.
These are people hired through social networks who are used for specific actions - the so-called "Low-level agents" or "disposable agents". According to Zelen, these agents are most often used to spread disinformation, sabotage or espionage.
What are "disposable agents"?
"Disposable agents" are people who are not official employees of an intelligence agency. Such individuals are often recruited via messaging apps such as "Telegram" to carry out a seemingly innocuous task in exchange for payment. According to German security authorities, the recruits are mostly those who have attracted attention with their pro-Russian statements.
There are several reasons why Russia relies on such "untrained" agents. First of all, Russian intelligence services have lost a large part of their operational base in Europe, as undercover agents stationed in Russian diplomatic missions in Europe have been expelled repeatedly, and recently en masse due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In addition, Russia can always deny having anything to do with sabotage operations.
Since contact with "disposable agents" was established through intermediaries, it cannot be proven in court that a Russian intelligence service ordered them. At the same time, the aim of such operations is not necessarily to cause the greatest possible damage, but rather to instill fear and insecurity among the population in other countries, as well as fears that they will be directly involved in the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.
Permanently high threat
A few days ago, alleged plans for attacks on freight transport in Germany became known. A total of three Ukrainians were arrested in Germany and Switzerland, ARD recalls. The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses them of acting as agents for the purpose of sabotage. Therefore, there are suspicions that Russian state agencies are behind the attacks.
The Federal Service for the Protection of the Constitution assumes that Russian actions in Europe pose a long-term threat - regardless of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and the further course of this conflict. Therefore, the threat remains permanently high.