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Vadim Krasikov’s trial will begin in Berlin a month later. In August 2019, the Russian is suspected of shooting Georgian citizen Zelimchan Changoshville in a park in the German capital, Berlin.
Krasikov is said to be a professional hit man. German authorities and law enforcement are convinced that Vladimir Putin personally ordered the liquidation of the Georgian-born Chechen, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
If in the past the Kremlin still tried to officially distance itself from crimes of a similar nature, today the violence is open. Not only that, the links with the authorities are hardly hidden.
The murder in Tyrgarten Park became the first murder on Russian soil by Russian authorities, but the reaction from the federal government was moderate, especially compared to later Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chancellor Heiko Maas following news that the Russian opponent Alexei Navaln was poisoned with a nerve paralyzing substance used in military action.
They not only demanded responses from Moscow in a categorical tone, but also declared that they would discuss a possible response with partners from the EU and NATO.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called Russia “an aggressive regime that tries to develop its interests without any remorse, even without resorting to violence.”
The choice of such words is even more surprising, since the poisoning of A. Navaln took place outside of German territory. How could such a different reaction to these events be explained? The German authorities explained their position on the assassination in Berlin by stating that, in a state governed by the rule of law, law enforcement agencies must first do their job. Unofficially, however, it could be understood that she did not want to damage relations with Moscow because of a man whose role in the Chechen war was possibly linked to many bloody deals.
Now the victim has not become a former Chechen battlefield commander, but a key figure in the Russian opposition. However, this fierce German reaction can also be understood for another reason. Berlin is running out of patience in relations with Moscow. And not only because of Russia’s blockade of a peace agreement in eastern Ukraine or the development of an unprecedented war in Syria, but also because of Moscow’s actions in Germany itself.
Russia is expanding its influence in Germany
In May, it emerged that the German security services had managed to identify the alleged main organizer of a cyberattack against the German Bundestag in 2015: and this case concerns 29-year-old Russian soldier Dmitry Badin. Hacking of Bundestag databases is just one of many prominent examples of cyberattacks carried out by Russian gangs. During them, Moscow seeks to extract information held by ministries, parties, parliaments or other German bodies.
The new Cold War, which Russia has been developing in the European Union for many years, manifests itself in many areas. For example, according to security authorities, the activity of Russian spies has recently increased significantly in Germany; its mass is not inferior to the previous Cold War era.
The number of contacts with German politicians and their employees is also growing. Its objective is to extract or intercept information that may have at least some value. Not only that, Russian media working abroad, such as RT Deutsch (formerly known as Russia Today) and Sputnik, are constantly spreading propaganda and disinformation. During the migration crisis, they tried to deepen the fragmentation of society, and now it works in a similar way, in the case of protests against measures against the coronavirus.
At the same time, the German security services are detecting partially secret Russian links with parties on the periphery of the political world, in particular the “Alternative to Germany”. In this case, Russia is not interested in the non-nationalist leadership of the party. The main objective of hybrid warfare is first and foremost the shock, fragmentation and weakening of German society.
The “Alternative to Germany” party once again became the initiator of attempts to criticize Russia’s “hasty accusation”. Maximilian Krahh MEP said the accusations against the Kremlin “should at least be condemned to doubt.” And another party member, Tino Chrupalla, warned that the poisoning of A. Navaln should not raise doubts about Nord Stream 2 and “German energy security” itself. By the way, he is also receiving support from some other German politicians on this issue. However, Merkel, albeit cautious, did not rule out the possibility that the Navaln poisoning might require the imposition of sanctions on a strategically important gas pipeline for both Russia and Germany.
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