According to a report, the German government is not only supporting Ukraine with weapons, but also with intelligence that can be used by the military. Including satellite images and intercepted radio messages about the movement of troops in Moscow.
According to a media report, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) supports Ukraine with information about positions of the Russian army. As “Die Zeit” reports, the German government is not only delivering arms to Ukraine, but also intelligence information about Russian positions and troop movements of the army. This emerges from research by the weekly newspaper and the ARD magazine “Contrasts”.
When asked, a BND spokesman said that the service only commented on operational aspects of its work to the federal government and the responsible, secret-meeting committees of the Bundestag. According to the report, the information is reconnaissance findings by the BND that came from satellite images, intercepted radio messages or mobile phone calls. These included information about ammunition depots and photos of a Russian airfield with the exact location and number of aircraft.
The BND had this procedure legally checked in advance, reports “Zeit”. In an assessment in May, the intelligence service came to the conclusion that the disclosure of the reports was legally covered and that, under international law, Germany did not enter the war. The data would be passed on with a delay of up to a few days, it said. Therefore, they are not directly usable for the planning and control of deadly attacks. But you can help the Ukrainian army in preparing military operations. One of the BND’s requirements is to only share photos from Ukraine itself, no photos from Russia. So far, more than 100 tips have been sent.
The secret service support goes far beyond what previous federal governments had authorized, for example in the Iraq war or the Afghanistan war. When asked by “Zeit” and “Kontraste”, a government spokeswoman explained that the federal government “as a matter of principle does not take a public position on matters relating to any intelligence findings or activities of the intelligence services”.
