Intelligence agency: Russia trying to destabilize Germany

BERLIN – Germany’s domestic intelligence agency says Russia is trying to destabilize German society and the state with propaganda campaigns and cyberattacks.

The blunt warning from Germany’s BfV agency comes less than a year before the country is expected to hold a general election.

Agency chief Hans-Georg Maassen said in a statement Thursday that “there is growing evidence for attempts to influence the federal election next year.”

His agency has seen an increase in “aggressive cyber-espionage” targeting German politicians.

Russia has been blamed for the hacking and release of Democratic National Committee emails before the U.S. presidential election.

Maassen says “automated opinion forming” with so-called bots could be used to spread fake news on social media.

Russia has in previously strongly denied its involvement in orchestrating cyberattacks on foreign soil.