The “frosty peace” between Europe and Russia could turn into a “hot confrontation” at any moment, a German spy chief has warned. Martin Jäger, head of Berlin’s BND foreign intelligence service, said Moscow will “not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary” as he claimed Europe is being “paralysed by fear and inaction”.
Mr Jäger, who took up the post last month, told lawmakers: “Russia is camouflaging its intentions, but in reality it is aiming to test our borders. At best, there is a frosty peace in Europe, which could turn into a hot confrontation here and there at any moment. We must prepare ourselves for further escalations.
“Russia’s actions are designed to undermine NATO, destabilise European democracies and divide and threaten our societies.
“Europe is being paralysed by fear and inaction to the point of self-abandonment.
“Moscow believes it has a realistic chance of expanding its sphere of influence westward and making Europe, which is economically superior in many ways, dependent on Russia.”
He added: “To achieve this goal, Russia will not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary.”
Mr Jäger’s comments come after a surge in unidentified drone sightings near airports across Europe, including Germany, Denmark and Norway.
The incidents caused flights to be suspended, with Russia viewed as the prime suspect for the disruption, although Moscow has denied any involvement.
Mr Jäger, formerly German ambassador to Ukraine, claimed Germany was Russia’s “number one target in Europe” as it is the EU’s largest economy and has played a “leading role in supporting Ukraine”.
Germany has previously warned that Russia could be ready to attack NATO within the next four years.
But speaking at the annual public hearing of the heads of Germany’s three main intelligence agencies, Mr Jäger warned: “We cannot afford to sit back and assume that a possible Russian attack will not come until 2029 at the earliest. We are already under fire today.”
He said Moscow views restraint and leniency as “weakness”, adding: “We must draw the right conclusions from this.
“We must confront our opponents wherever necessary. To this end, we will take higher risks in a controlled and consistent manner.”
