German spy chief warns against Russia′s military ambitions

Germany’s top spy, Bruno Kahl, has delivered a dramatic warning about Russia’s military ambitions in the European Union. But some analysts think that such alarmism only plays into the Kremlin’s hands.

The president of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, has delivered his starkest warning yet about Russia’s growing power. Speaking at the Hanns Seidel political foundation in Munich on Monday, Bruno Kahl outlined Russia’s growing ambitions and questioned whether the European Union’s defense capabilities are adequate.

Kahl said the BND had observed “unsettling” modernization and troop distribution on the part of Russia’s army during the recent Zapad training exercises along the borders of the Baltic EU member countries. “In the entire military region in the west, but also in the south and the north, the scope of the armed forces has reached new heights,” he said.

He also said the Kremlin was aiming to take a leading role on the European continent again. “Part of that is weakening the EU and pushing the US back and especially driving a wedge between the two,” Kahl said. “To say it clearly: Instead of a partner for European security we have in Russia a potential danger. The world political actor Russia is back — and it will be an uncomfortable neighbor.”