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President @ilvestoomas.bsky.social explains Germany’s intelligence disaster on the latest episode of the Continental Rift. As Ilves notes, the international relationship with Germany’s BND spy agency has been problematic ..ever since Gerhard Schröder became Chancellor, funnily enough.

During his chancellorship, the BND even unwittingly recruited a spy for Russia as their informant in the Baltics. Herman Simm was exposed with the help of Lithuanian counterintelligence and convicted by Estonia.

Anyway, do follow the Continental Rift and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Full episode here: youtu.be/CLiZEgmbIYc

Short form: BND (external intelligence) is not BfV (internal constitutionality watchdog). Mixing them up constantly like these two do means having no idea what you're talking about. Calling the Stasi wonderful equals calling Gestapo and NKVD wonderful. GTFO here with that antidemocratic dogwhistle.

BfV is “Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency” and observes “intelligence and security services of the Russian Federation,” among others, according to Wikipedia, so I think it's relevant. The Stasi being characterized as “wonderful” by people who lived under communist rule was sarcasm IMHO.