BERLIN, July 10. /TASS/. The attacks of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (counterintelligence, security service) against Russia are unfounded and are drawn up in the spirit of a ‘witch hunt’, which can only be regrettable, the Russian embassy in Berlin noted, commenting on the report of the German security service presented earlier, which claims that Moscow allegedly attempted to influence Germany’s public opinion.
"We also noticed the anti-Russian passages in the report about operations of the German counterintelligence in 2019 presented in Berlin. The groundless and tired accusations compiled in the best traditions of a ‘witch hunt’ are confusing, to say the least," the Russian embassy noted. "There is nothing keft to do but to deeply regret the fact that the reputable agency is obviously abusing the topic of the so-called ‘Russian threat’ for political gains, trying to look for a black cat in a dark room when it is not there," the statement reads.
The diplomatic mission warned that these steps "do not facilitate development of the Russian-German relations in a positive way."
The German counterintelligence report claims that in 2019 Russia allegedly tried to exert influence over the German public opinion, particularly through mass media outlets. At the same time, the agency noted that Russia "exercised certain restraint" in Germany compared to the last few years.
Western countries have repeatedly come up with similar accusations of attempts to sway public opinions - something that Moscow has staunchly denied on a number of occasions.