The suspected officials have an “emotional closeness to Russia.”

Two high-ranking officials from the German Federal Ministry of Economics, who hold key positions in the energy sector, are suspected of spying for Russia.

This is stated in the material of the German newspaper Die Zeit.

Currently, the anti-spy agency is investigating a case regarding the possible penetration of Russian special services into the Federal Ministry of Economics, where they resolve energy issues, including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. 

According to a ZEIT study, two high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Economy, who hold key positions in the energy sector, are now under the gun of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which has legal responsibility for counterintelligence. 

It is reported that confidants of Economy Minister Robert Habek contacted the Office in the spring and asked for help. They encountered inconsistencies in internal documents on Nord Stream 2 and the filling level of gas storage facilities, as well as in the German supply security report. 

“Many of the documents are said to exude Russian understanding and point of view, and it is striking that the arguments often fell short of the government’s official line. political line of his minister,” the article says. 

When Habek’s confidants contacted the secret service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution had no choice but to launch an investigation.

Scouts checked the biographical data of the suspected officers and found “biographical anomalies”. For example, a study trip to Russia in one of the cases.

“Their movements were monitored and checked to see if the flights were exclusively business or there was something suspicious. They also paid attention to private friendships. We are talking about the “emotional closeness to Russia”, which the officials who were targeted apparently have” , the newspaper writes. 

The journalists also emphasize that regardless of whether the employees of the ministry are really traitors, or the suspicions are false, “the case is politically explosive as well as delicate.”

“If confirmed, this is a fiasco for the federal government and a triumph for the Kremlin, which managed to plant a mole, or even several, up to one of the most important ministries. If the suspicion is not confirmed, Economy Minister Robert Habek was deceived, and he will have to explain why he aimed the intelligence service at veterans of the ministry,” the article notes.

Earlier, the German media reported that in Germany they are worried that Russian propaganda will “drive a wedge” into their society . In particular, it is expected that the Russian Federation will launch a series of fakes about the shortage of gas and food in Germany.

(C)UNIAN 2022