German military intelligence warns of rising sabotage, extremism threats

Germany’s military counterintelligence service has warned that the threat from sabotage and hybrid attacks has increased significantly, while reporting a rise in suspected right-wing extremism cases within the Bundeswehr.

The Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) said Germany was a “prioritised intelligence target” for Russian espionage, citing its strategic position in Europe and NATO, the expansion of the Bundeswehr and new weapons systems, Caliber.Az reports via a German newspaper.

“The hybrid threat situation in Germany has continued to intensify,” the MAD said in its 2025 annual report.

It said the threat from sabotage carried out by so-called “low-level agents” had also “increased significantly”, but gave no comparative figures.

The MAD also expressed concern about Bundeswehr personnel travelling to Russia and Belarus. It said numerous soldiers had travelled there in recent years and come to the attention of Russian and Belarusian intelligence services, creating a particular risk of blackmail and threats.

The report also said some surveillance of German military infrastructure, including drone overflights and incursions into Bundeswehr facilities, could be linked to Chinese intelligence services.

The MAD recorded 610 newly opened extremism cases in 2025, up from 524 in 2024.

Cases involving suspected right-wing extremism rose from 413 to 519, an increase of about 26%.

The service identified 11 people as right-wing extremists, the same number as in 2024, while 21 people had findings raising concerns about their commitment to Germany’s constitutional order.

The report said far-right positions were increasingly being normalised and highlighted new far-right youth groups operating through social media, including “Jung & Stark”, “Deutsche Jugend Voran” and “Der Störtrupp”.

The groups have been linked to disruptive actions at Christopher Street Day events and attacks on political opponents, the MAD said.

The service had around 1,600 employees as of December 2025. Plans are under way for additional offices in Germany and a permanent MAD presence in Lithuania, where Germany intends to station a combat-ready armoured brigade to protect NATO’s eastern flank.

By Aghakazim Guliyev