The German Federal Ministry of the Interior says the Kremlin has criminal Russian gangs under its control. Their influence extends as far as Germany. The Green Party is calling for greater powers for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germany’s domestic intelligence agency).
May 11, 2026
Photo:
Christoph Soeder / dpa
Russia is apparently increasingly relying on organized crime for acts of sabotage and targeted killings of undesirable individuals. “Cooperation between Russian authorities and organized crime actors is particularly relevant for disruptive activities such as sabotage or assassination operations,” writes the Federal Ministry of the Interior in a yet-to-be-published response to a parliamentary inquiry from the Green Party. SPIEGEL has obtained an advance copy of the response.
Russian-Eurasian Organized Crime (REOC) – which includes gangs from countries of the former Soviet Union – can hardly escape the Kremlin’s control. “In return for the toleration of their activities by Russian state authorities, REOC structures are forced to cooperate with them when necessary,” the German government stated. “There are indications of corresponding connections in Germany as well.”
Commissioning criminal actors offers Moscow the advantage of being able to deny illegal actions. Federal security authorities have recorded “a large number of suspected cases of possible sabotage operations carried out on behalf of the Russian state,” according to the Interior Ministry’s response. However, in most cases, it is impossible to determine whether damage was actually caused by Russian sabotage.
Use of “disposable agents”
Furthermore, according to the German government, since the turn of the year 2023/2024 Russia has increasingly used so-called low-level agents in acts of sabotage – individuals recruited online without professional intelligence training. Experts sometimes refer to them as “disposable agents,” and Russia apparently accepts the risk of their exposure.
Marcel Emmerich, the Green Party’s domestic policy expert in the Bundestag, who submitted the inquiry, described the links between the Russian state and organized crime to SPIEGEL as a “serious threat to Germany’s security.” Moscow’s hybrid warfare aims to destabilize democratic societies and undermine trust in state institutions.
“The federal government must finally take this dangerous development seriously and counter it with a robust security offensive,” demanded Emmerich. Illegal financial flows, money laundering, and criminal networks must be dismantled. According to the Green Party politician, the federal government should also consider granting the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution additional powers in combating organized crime. So far, this has primarily been the responsibility of the police.
Fitting for a crime syndicate like russia to use ruskie organized crime gangs to do its dirty work.
“Experts sometimes refer to them as “disposable agents,” and Russia apparently accepts the risk of their exposure.”
What do the cockroaches have to fear? Germany, like every other European country, must learn to be strong and stand up for itself. Weakness will be its downfall.