Putin's hybrid war prompts German spy agency reboot

Berlin is preparing to transform the Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, from a passive observer into an operational actor. Driven chiefly by Russia’s hybrid threat, the forthcoming reform will introduce aggressive new tactics that include hackbacks, sabotage and interference in hostile supply chains.

The cabinet approved the roughly 700-page draft legislation on 12 August, describing it as Germany’s most extensive overhaul of intelligence law. Subject to defined threat thresholds and review by the Independent Control Council, the BND would be authorised to penetrate IT systems at drone factories or chemical weapons laboratories. The agency could also disable servers used by state hackers and disinformation networks, delete data or insert defective components into deliveries.

Under the new rules, both the BND and the domestic security service, the BfV, would gain broader authority to conduct online searches, use artificial intelligence for analysis and perform biometric matching. Content gathered through strategic surveillance could be stored for six months, and metadata for twelve.

While ministers did not formally name Russia, Moscow is the clear security backdrop for the shift. Berlin reports intensified Russian espionage, cyber operations, disinformation and sabotage since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The cabinet vote followed the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig/Halle airport, although investigators have not yet attributed that incident.

Chancellery chief Nina Warken said Germany had become too dependent on intelligence supplied by allies. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt added that the reform would create “genuine secret services” equipped to identify and disrupt threats.

The bill still requires parliamentary approval. Critics warn that granting operational powers to the BfV could blur Germany’s strict postwar separation between intelligence agencies and the police. The government counters that intrusive measures will face stronger central review and that parliamentary oversight will remain firmly in place.