As election nears in Germany, task force formed to battle potential Russian interference

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, has set up a task force to counter potential foreign interference in the upcoming federal election.

The agency warned that disinformation, cyberattacks, espionage, and sabotage could target the snap election scheduled for February 23.

The move follows heightened concerns over Russian-sponsored espionage and sabotage.

The German snap elections come after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government earlier this month.

What is Russia’s incentive?

“Against the backdrop of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia likely has the greatest and most obvious interest in influencing the election in its own favour,” the BfV said in a statement, adding that it was monitoring other potential foreign actors as well.

Germany, a key financial and military backer of Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, has faced an uptick in “aggressive behaviour” from the Kremlin, BfV chief Thomas Haldenwang said last month.

Recent incidents include parcel explosions at logistics depots in Europe, which Western security officials linked to a Russian test run for a plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the US.

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The BfV said sabotage could inflict psychological damage on voters and political decision-makers, in addition to physical harm.

Disinformation campaigns, particularly pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives, have been on the rise, the agency said.

The aim of such narratives is to divide German society and weaken support for Ukraine. Cyberattacks, including hack-and-leak operations, and deepfake videos created using artificial intelligence are also significant threats, it added.

In context of the elections, the agency pointed towards risks of foreign powers actively supporting certain candidates or parties, discrediting others, or undermining the democratic process.

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Support for Russia-friendly parties, such as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, has grown recently, with both parties performing strongly in eastern German elections in September.

In April, an AfD official denied allegations that he received funding from a pro-Russian media outlet.

With inputs from Reuters