What’s the German word for “Germany’s got 99 problems and a mole in their intelligence service is only one of them”?
What’s the German word for “Germany’s got 99 problems and a mole in their intelligence service is only one of them”?
I'm sure there's a German word for that.
We made it to Friday. Phew! I spent part of my week launching “Probably Just a Coincidence,” where I’ll be keeping a running list of things that are absolutely not coincidences. For example, did you know the former lover of convicted Russian agent Mariia Butina was also involved in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election? Probably just a coincidence. Or that Congressman George Santos (if that really is his name) received money from a cousin of Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, the same cousin who also donated to Trump’s inaugural committee? Probably just a coincidence. The list free for all to see. I’ll be updating it as we go. I hope you’ll check it out.
Class 3 of the Foreign Influence Operations course will be posted Monday. Also remember to check out the chat. If you feel like contributing to the conversation, great! If not, that’s ok, too!
VESPERS!
This is a call back to my time at the Agency. Vespers were a time to get together in a relaxed atmosphere and chat.
When: March 1, 12pm-1pm eastern time
What: I envision this as a chance to discuss and answer questions about the Foreign Influence Operations course. But we can discuss other things, too! Maybe you want to ask me about life in the CIA or my obsession with camels. Ask me anything! If I can’t answer, I’ll lie, but I’ll try to keep it entertaining (and maybe even educational). Come hang with me!
How: I’ll send the zoom link one hour before (at 11am eastern time on March 1)
Who: Vespers are for paid subscribers only. Not a paid subscriber? Don’t miss out! Sign up now!
ALEX’S WEEKLY RANT
Last December, German authorities arrested the director of technical reconnaissance at Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) for treason for spying for Russia. In this position, the man, Carsten Linke, was in charge of cybersecurity and electronic surveillance for the BND. He also would have been privy to loads of intelligence shared with the BND by other allied intelligence services. Put simply, he was kind of a big deal.
An individual thought to be a courier between Linke and his Russian handlers has also been arrested. Authorities caught him with 400,000 euros in cash, possibly a payment from Russia for Linke. The courier and Linke were reportedly introduced by a member of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right political party, many of whose members have been targeted by Russia (including in the influence network I discussed last week).
Linke also seems to adhere to a far-right ideology, which we have seen Russia seek to exploit over and over again. For those of you who read Class 1 of the Foreign Influence Operations course, ideology is a big motivator/vulnerability an intelligence officer can use to recruit someone as an asset.
In fact, Linke’s case is only the latest example of far-right sympathies on the rise in Germany, including among members of its military and security services. In December, German police arrested 25 people for a far-right plan to overthrow the government by storming the German parliament (sound familiar?). Coincidentally, a different German citizen was arrested in February 2021 for handing over floor plans of the German parliament to Russian military intelligence. The coup-plotting group included a former member of the AfD and hoped Russia would be the first country to recognize their new government.
Germany’ Interior Ministry also recently fired the country’s head of cybersecurity due to his close ties to a Russian company founded by a former KGB officer. Meanwhile, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been a vocal advocate for Russia (perhaps thanks to the millions of euros he has made sitting on the boards of Russian energy companies, including Rosneft and Gazprom). Add to this Germany’s deep economic ties to Russia and it becomes clear why Germany is having a hard time consciously uncoupling from Russia, even if it knows this would be best for its democratic health.
The Linke incident (and, I assume, all the other incidents) is threatening intelligence sharing between Germany and her allies.
Austria might be able to sympathize. That country found itself completely shut out of European intelligence sharing after a far-right political party took over the Ministry of Interior and raided the country’s own anti-extremism offices to figure out who was informing on far-right extremists (i.e. the political party now in charge). This, shortly after the Austrian foreign minister invited Vladimir Putin to her wedding, where the two of them danced together. She has landed a job at the Russian oil company Rosneft (probably just a coincidence).
These far-right individuals aren’t pro-Russia because Russian intelligence targeted them. Rather, Russian intelligence targeted them because they would be great assets in Russia’s plans to destabilize the West. So, while these folks may yell about their ideology from under a patriotic banner, they should ask themselves why Russia—which wants to weaken their country—sees them as a good ally. A number of far-right flag wavers in the US should be asking themselves this question, too.
THE WEEK’S LINKS
A roundup of stories you should be reading
(Note: I reserve the right to rant in depth about any of these at a future date)
RUSSIA
The First Great Information War (Byline Times)
Russian propagandists are buying Twitter blue-check verifications (Washington Post)
Sacked Russian police general found dead in apparent suicide (The Moscow Times)
Russia targets Netherlands’ North Sea infrastructure, says Dutch intelligence agency (Reuters)
CHINA
European commission bans TikTok on official devices (AFP)
INFLUENCE FOR HIRE
French news channel BFMTV sacks anchor after external influence probe (AFP)
For background, see last week’s Rant!
YOUR FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE WEEK
Largest ever fossil of a millipede found in northern England. It’s the size of a car.
Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe. She writes and teaches about terrorism, disinformation / covert influence, and oligarch yachts. Her writing has appeared in Slate, Reductress, Funny or Die, POLITICO, The Center for Public Integrity, and other publications. She has spoken to the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, France24, and numerous other media outlets. She was also invited once to speak at Harvard, which she now tells everyone within the first ten seconds of meeting them. She is the author of the Victor Caro series, satirical novels about the CIA. Before joining the CIA, Alex was a journalist, covering Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and the Department of Energy. She reported on issues related to national security, intelligence, and homeland security. Did she mention she was invited to speak at Harvard?
I thought a link to the Vespers zoom was going out?