Berlin Spy Chief: Moscow Planning Subtle Attacks to Weaken NATO Alliance

Russia Aims to Test NATO’s Unity Through Hybrid Tactics, Says German Intelligence Chief.

Russia is preparing to challenge NATO’s cohesion and test its collective defense commitments, not just via the war in Ukraine but through broader, unconventional confrontations, Germany’s foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl has warned.

Speaking to Table Media, Kahl—head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND)—said Moscow sees Ukraine as “only a step on the journey westward.” He stressed that while large-scale military invasions are unlikely, Russia is actively exploring subtler methods to destabilize NATO.

“They don’t need to roll in tanks. Sending ‘little green men’ to Estonia to ‘protect’ Russian minorities could be enough,” Kahl said, alluding to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, which involved unidentified armed forces.

Kahl’s intelligence suggests some Russian officials now doubt the enforceability of Article 5—the NATO treaty clause requiring mutual defense. These doubts could embolden Russia to attempt low-level incursions or hybrid warfare operations to test the West’s reaction.

Germany, already a key backer of Ukraine, is expanding support under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. This includes helping Ukraine develop longer-range missile systems capable of striking deep into Russian territory. Kahl, while not naming specific Russian officials, said his discussions with U.S. counterparts show that Washington shares Berlin’s assessment. “They take it as seriously as we do,” he added.

Chancellor Merz recently met with former U.S. President Donald Trump, pushing back on Trump’s claims that Ukraine and Russia were equally responsible for the conflict. Merz emphasized the distinction between Ukraine’s military targets and Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The German warning highlights increasing concern in NATO capitals that Russia may attempt to expose internal fractures in the alliance, using ambiguous aggression that stops short of full-scale war.