Germany finds Russian-linked weapons cache near Berlin, minister says
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Germany's domestic intelligence agency located a hidden weapons cache in a forest near Berlin in October 2025, linked to Russian agents. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the weapons were intended for attack plans, and a suspect was detained in Romania.
Key Facts
- Germany's BfV intelligence agency received a tip in October 2025 about a hidden weapons cache in a forest near Berlin's border with Brandenburg.
- Security forces neutralized the weapons, fitted them with GPS trackers, and returned them to the cache to identify suspects, but no one returned.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated the weapons and ammunition were intended for attack plans, without directly naming Russia.
- A suspect linked to the weapons was detained in Romania last autumn and is under investigation in both Romania and Germany.
Weapons Cache Discovery
Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV received intelligence in October 2025 about a hidden weapons cache in a forested area near Berlin's border with Brandenburg. Following concrete leads, intelligence units located the cache and alerted police. Security forces neutralized the weapons to eliminate any threat, fitted them with GPS tracking devices, and returned them to the cache to identify the perpetrators. Despite technical surveillance of the cache and area, no one returned, and the weapons were confiscated.
Russian Link and Suspect
Security units assessed that the perpetrators may have been tipped off about the operation. Last autumn, a person linked to the weapons was detained in Romania, and investigators are considering the possibility that this individual personally created the hidden cache. The BfV holds concrete data indicating the cache belonged to Russian agents, and the prevailing view is that the ammunition was stored for kinetic operations such as assassinations and attacks on German soil ordered by Moscow.
Official Response
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the cache found about a year ago revealed the threat level Germany faces, stating, "These weapons and ammunition were definitely intended to carry out attack plans." Without directly naming Russia, Dobrindt referred to Moscow's hybrid warfare, saying, "We are vigilant regarding hybrid threats," and emphasized a determined fight against espionage, sabotage, and covert operations. The German government uses the term "hybrid warfare" to describe hostile aggressive actions that do not reach the level of open and direct military attacks. Dobrindt described the suspect detained in Romania as a low-level, disposable agent of foreign intelligence services, but did not disclose the person's nationality due to the federal prosecutors' investigation. The minister noted that the suspect is also under investigation in Romania for attack plans, while in Germany the investigation continues on suspicion of "preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state."
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Germany finds Russian-linked weapons cache near Berlin, minister says
