Berlin The German foreign intelligence service BND is now coming under pressure because of possible lack of information on the uprising of the Wagner mercenary group in Russia. The reason for this is statements by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who has now admitted that the Federal Intelligence Service was surprised by the intentions of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The services in Germany “of course didn’t know that beforehand,” Scholz said on Wednesday on the ARD program “Maischberger”. “But they kept telling us what was to be observed.”
According to a report by “Spiegel”, the German foreign intelligence service shared its findings with the traffic lights when the Wagner advance was already underway. The process weighs heavily, especially since the early detection of dangers of international importance threatening from abroad is one of the core tasks of the BND.
The secret service controllers of the Bundestag are now demanding clarification. “The BND is undoubtedly a relevant pillar of our well-fortified democracy, especially in these times,” said the chairman of the intelligence committee of the Bundestag, Konstantin von Notz (Greens), the Handelsblatt. “Functioning and effective structures” are all the more important. The control committee will now “deal intensively with the current issues of the information situation and cooperation with partner services”.
The SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner emphasized: “In the interest of our security, it is imperative that such surprises are avoided as far as possible in the future.” Stegner, who is also a member of the secret service committee, complained that the German services were “too often surprised” by developments. As examples, he cited the BND’s misjudgments about the Taliban’s rapid takeover of power in the Afghan capital Kabul in August 2021 and the Russian troops’ attack on Ukraine.
Kubicki blames former Merkel government for BND failures
Stegner warned that the reasons for this had to be “consistently pursued politically”. “This also applies in the event of a lack of information exchange with the intelligence services of our allies.”
Chancellor Scholz announced that he wanted to discuss the flow of information with the allies. Responding to reports that US intelligence agencies allegedly knew earlier, he said, “We’ll all have to discuss that together — including what the case is of the things that are now being speculated about.”
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According to a report by the Washington Post, the US secret services received information in mid-June that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was planning armed action against the military leadership. The White House, the Pentagon and the State Department were informed about this, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. However, the exact nature of the plans and the timing of implementation were unclear.
According to the New York Times, US intelligence officials briefed senior military and government officials last Wednesday that Prigozhin was preparing military action against the Russian defense leadership. The information available to the newspaper showed that the US was aware of upcoming events in Russia.
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The FDP politician Wolfgang Kubicki blamed the failures of the BND on the black-red federal government under Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). “It has become clear again that after 16 years with Merkel, Germany has deficits in its security architecture,” Kubicki told the Handelsblatt. In the Bundeswehr, the traffic light has already achieved a lot in a short time. “I assume that the Federal Chancellery will also take measures in the field of intelligence services,” said the FDP deputy.
Scholz sees cracks in the Putin system, but not the BND
The fact that several Western secret services were probably informed before the BND about the plans of the Wagner mercenaries should not be taken as an opportunity to write “letters of complaint abroad”. Rather, the BND must do its homework better in the future.
Green politician von Notz also pointed out that in the past the BND had repeatedly “very clearly” pointed out the dangers from Russia, but also from China, when many did not yet want to admit it. Nevertheless, with a view to the war in Ukraine, it was “completely clear” that this turning point would also have to have an effect and change in the services.
As recently as May, Kahl saw no signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin was weakening.
(Photo: imago/photothek)
Above all, this concerns the ability to obtain reliable information and to derive corresponding assessments for government action. The issue is particularly sensitive with regard to Russia. This can now also be seen in relation to the actions of the Wagner mercenary group.
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Chancellor Scholz assumes that the aborted uprising has weakened Russian President Vladimir Putin. The uprising shows “that there are cracks in the autocratic structures, the power structures” and that Putin is by no means as firmly in the saddle as he repeatedly claims.
In contrast, the President of the Federal Intelligence Service, Bruno Kahl, still saw no signs of a weakening of the Russian President in May. There are no recognizable cracks in the Putin system, Kahl said at the time in front of the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) in Berlin.
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