German intelligence services have tightened surveillance of the Russian embassy in Berlin. The newspaper Bild reported this on September 28, citing sources in German government circles.
According to the paper, cars and vans believed to belong to German security agencies have in recent days been regularly parked outside the diplomatic mission on Unter den Linden. Helicopters have also been flying periodically over the embassy’s guarded grounds. Bild says the surveillance is demonstrative: the authorities want embassy staff to see that every step they take is being watched.
At the same time, Berlin intends to tighten border checks on Russian businesspeople linked to the Russian authorities, as well as members of their families. On entry they may be questioned in detail about the purpose of their trip and their activities in Germany.
The measures fit into a broader tightening of German policy toward Russian missions. In early September, Germany announced the closure of Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and an end to the operations of the Russian House in Berlin after accusing Moscow of involvement in a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Russia rejects those accusations. Against this backdrop, Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office in September also charged a woman who, according to investigators, passed information to a Russian intelligence officer working at the embassy in Berlin.
