Two top German Economy Ministry officials may have spied on Russia

Germany’s defense agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has revealed an investigation of two senior officials of the German Economy Ministry on suspicion of spying for Russia. Die Zeit investigative journalistswho worked is a From the control of Politico Let’s look at it.

According to the article, while ministry officials were “in a key position during decisions regarding energy supplies,” they also worked as informants in the Kremlin. If the suspicion is confirmed, it could cause a very serious scandal for the German government.

The powerful ministry is headed by Robert Habeck, Minister of Economy and Climate Protection, who is also Deputy Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This ministry plays a key role in preparing Germany to deal with the energy crisis. He also played a key role in determining the sanctions the country supports. One of the most sensitive issues that German decision-makers had to decide on was whether to continue building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. German governments had been referring to this project for years as a “purely commercial” investment, but after the invasion of Ukraine, more construction came to a halt. Building.

Thanks to die Zeit’s work, it has now been revealed that several disturbing documents have now been found in internal documents relating to Nord Stream 2. Because of these, the Ministry itself has switched to BfV.

While Habeck and other cabinet members have often emphasized their determination to wean Germany away from dependence on Putin’s gas, a number of documents have been released in the Economy Ministry that “turned with understanding to the Russian position, and it was remarkable that reasoning often did not fit With the official line of the German government.”

In the case of the officials responsible for the documents, the Secret Service discovered a “biographical anomaly, and in one case a study trip to Russia,” and was also found to be sympathetic to Russia. This sympathy alone cannot be considered incriminating evidence, since many of Berlin’s political elite have long had friendly relations with the Kremlin, Die Zeit notes.