Dear readers,
Do you sometimes feel like you can’t keep up with all the Russian criminal activities in Germany? Don’t worry anymore! This newsletter will track all Russian acts of sabotage, espionage, and disinformation, as well as how Germany is countering these acts of aggression while rebuilding its army and other security services.
I studied Political Science and East Slavic Studies in Jena and Minsk and wrote my bachelor’s thesis in 2014 on the relationship between the European Union and Ukraine under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. In my career as a journalist, I have uncovered visits by far-right AfD MPs acting as 'election observers' in eastern Ukraine and have also exposed the Russian disinformation media outlets Redfish and Maffick.
A lot has happened this week: the German Bundestag and Bundesrat not only approved a one-off investment program for defense and intelligence services, but Germany also sent two important signals to Russia.
Thank you for stopping by and reading my first newsletter! I’m really excited and hope you’ve already subscribed.
Politics
Germany Opens the Floodgates for Defense Spending
On Tuesday, the Bundestag passed the debt package introduced by the CDU/CSU and SPD. With the necessary two-thirds majority, parliament approved an amendment to the Basic Law, exempting defense and security spending above a certain threshold from the debt brake. A special fund of 500 billion euros for infrastructure investments was also approved.
A total of 512 MPs voted in favor of the amendments, while 206 voted against. There were no abstentions. The two-thirds majority required at least 489 votes in favor.
Within the CDU/CSU, SPD, and Greens—who had previously reached an agreement on the measure after tough negotiations—only three MPs voted against it: Jan Dieren (SPD), Mario Czaja (CDU), and Canan Bayram (Greens). This information comes from a list published by the Bundestag following the roll-call vote.
Especially Czaja is known for his pro-Russian stance. During the election campaign, the CDU politician avoided using the party logo on billboards and lobbied against the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. His constituency is in East Berlin, where many Germans have a Russian background. Before the full-scale invasion, he advocated for a "Russian Garden" in his district, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, funded by the Russian House—an institution linked to the notorious Russian agency Russotrudnichestvo.
The Bundestag voted in its previous composition on amendments to the Basic Law, which were agreed upon by the CDU/CSU, SPD, and Greens at the end of last week. The debt brake—which imposes strict limits on new federal borrowing—is set to be relaxed for spending on defense, civil protection, intelligence services, and cybersecurity. Loans may now be taken out for all expenditures in these areas that exceed one percent of gross domestic product—equivalent to approximately 44 billion euros this year.
On Friday, the Bundesrat, the chamber representing Germany’s federal states, approved these constitutional changes.
Miscellaneous
Germany Confiscates Tanker "Eventin" from the Shadow Fleet
The German government has taken decisive action against a tanker from the secretive shadow fleet, which Russia continues to use to sell oil worldwide despite existing sanctions. Last Friday, customs authorities seized the Panamanian-flagged tanker Eventin, which had been anchored off the coast of Rügen since mid-January.
A confiscation order issued by the General Customs Directorate means that both the dilapidated tanker and approximately 100,000 tons of crude oil—valued at around 40 million euros—will now become German property, Der Spiegel reports [German].
The unusually strict measure, coordinated by the Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry, is intended as a clear signal to Russia that Germany will not passively tolerate the transit of Russian oil through the Baltic Sea.
German NGOs Under Russian Spy Attack, Warns Germany's Domestic Intelligence Agency
The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has reportedly gathered intelligence indicating that certain civil society organizations in Germany are being targeted by Russian cyberattacks. This was reported by the media outlets Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), and Süddeutsche Zeitung. A few days ago, the domestic intelligence service sent a warning letter to dozens of foundations, associations, and similar institutions.
In a ten-page awareness-raising document, the BfV highlights that Russia is increasingly restricting the activities of foreign organizations. Many are labeled as "undesirable" or "extremist" and placed on official lists. This designation is often accompanied by cyberattacks on their IT systems. Just this week, Russian authorities declared another German think tank, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), as "undesirable".
However, according to the BfV, organizations involved in political or social research, activism, or cultural cooperation—whether officially designated by Russian authorities or not—are also being targeted.
The BfV reportedly recommends that NGOs implement various cybersecurity measures, including end-to-end encryption. Strengthening communication and information-sharing with local authorities and other organizations is also crucial: "Cyberattacks often do not just affect individual institutions but multiple organizations that are of interest to the attackers", tagesschau.de quotes from the letter.
One apparent trigger for the warning was the case of the German Society for East European Studies. In 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice classified this association—founded in 1913 and comprised of researchers and experts—as one of the first German institutions to be designated as "extremist." The official reasoning: it was allegedly part of an "anti-Russian separatist movement." However, according to reports, the organization was not only publicly denounced. Cybercriminals had also secretly gained extensive access to its email accounts, monitoring internal communications for months. This dual-pronged approach appears to be part of a broader pattern.
Tengelmann billionaire in Russia?
This is arguably the wildest story in this newsletter—and one of the biggest mysteries in German corporate history. For seven years, former Tengelmann CEO Karl-Erivan Haub has been presumed missing. Now, a newly surfaced security camera image is fueling speculation that the billionaire heir may still be alive.
Tengelmann owns the clothing discounter KiK, which operates in twelve European countries, as well as a 74 percent stake in the hardware store chain OBI.
On Friday, Manager Magazin published two surveillance camera photos allegedly taken in Moscow in February 2021.
The images show a man wearing a blue cap who bears a striking resemblance to the missing German entrepreneur. According to the report, two expert analyses suggest that the person in the footage is indeed Haub.
Investigators Claim Haub Staged His Own Disappearance
Two private investigators hired by the Tengelmann Group, whose findings were cited by Manager Magazin, claim to have uncovered the images of Haub. The footage was reportedly leaked to the investigators by the Israeli-American security firm Interfor. According to two expert reports confirming the authenticity of the images, the person in the photos is Karl-Erivan Haub. If true, this would suggest he staged his own disappearance.
However, the case remains riddled with inconsistencies. While one forensic expert estimates a 99 percent probability that the man in the footage is Haub, another places it at 85 percent. Crucially, the raw data from the footage—necessary to verify the time and location of the images—is missing. This raises the possibility that the footage may have been manipulated or even faked.
Haub’s Connections to Moscow
According to private investigators, it is undisputed that Haub had connections in Moscow. On the night before his disappearance, April 6, he made two phone calls from Zermatt, Switzerland, to a woman named Veronika E., an event manager from St. Petersburg. The conversations reportedly lasted a total of 90 minutes.
Just two days earlier, on April 5, they allegedly spoke on the phone four times. That same day, Haub instructed the pilot of his private jet to change his planned Alpine destination. Instead of flying to Les Deux Alpes in France, as originally scheduled, he redirected the flight to Zermatt, Switzerland.
Records suggest that Haub’s connection to Veronika E. dates back to 2008, when they frequently stayed at the same locations, including in Sochi on the Black Sea and in Moscow. E. has publicly stated that her relationship with Haub was strictly professional.
However, journalist Liv von Boetticher from RTL has uncovered suspicions that the two may have been romantically involved. Further speculation suggests that E. could have been an agent for Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, the FSB, and may have assisted Haub in going into hiding. None of these theories have been confirmed.
Defense
Additional billion-euro package: Budget Committee approves Ukraine aid
Ukraine can rely on further military support from Germany: Following the approval of the debt-financed financial package in the Bundesrat, the Bundestag's Budget Committee has now greenlit billions in additional funds for Kyiv.
The committee has approved a new billion-euro package for military aid to Ukraine. This includes an additional three billion euros for the current year, supplementing the assistance already planned. Furthermore, an additional 8.25 billion euros has been allocated for the years 2026 to 2029. With this approval, contracts for military deliveries can now be finalized, writes tagesschau.de [German].
Thank you very much for reading my newsletter! If there was anything missing or you have a question, please let me know.
Jan