German intelligence agencies have uncovered a secret weapons cache near Berlin that they say belonged to Russian intelligence services and was intended for contract killings, according to reports by Süddeutsche Zeitung, Euronews, and DW.
The cache, found in woodland on the border between Berlin and the state of Brandenburg, contained two pistols and ammunition. Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) assessed the weapons were left for agents acting on behalf of Moscow to carry out so-called “kinetic operations” against targets in Europe.
Among the potential targets were executives of defence companies, Russian opposition figures in exile, and activists who support Ukraine, according to BfV chief Sinan Selen, who had warned months earlier that Russia could carry out assassinations on German soil.
Surveillance and Arrest
After discovering the cache, German law enforcement officers secured the pistols, fitted them with GPS trackers, and placed the location under round-the-clock surveillance. However, no one came to retrieve the weapons, leading investigators to conclude the operation had been compromised and the cache was now considered “dead,” according to Euronews.
A suspect who may have been the direct organiser of the cache has been detained in Romania, Militarnyi reported, citing German authorities. The German Public Prosecutor General has been handling the case since November 2025.
Cold War Tactics in Modern Europe
The discovery echoes Cold War-era practices of the Soviet KGB, which routinely established hidden weapons, explosives, and communications equipment caches across NATO countries to prepare sabotage operations. German security officials said the Berlin-area hideout followed the same template, adapted for the current geopolitical environment.
The revelation comes amid heightened concerns about Russian hybrid warfare in Europe, including previous incidents of alleged intelligence operations targeting Ukrainian supporters and political dissidents on EU territory. Germany, as Europe’s largest economy and a key NATO member, has faced increasing pressure to bolster its domestic security against such threats.
European officials have repeatedly cited Russian espionage activity as a reason for expanding counter-intelligence budgets and cooperation across the bloc. The find in Berlin underscores the proximity of the threat to the heart of European governance, with the BfV describing it as part of a broader pattern of Russian state-sponsored operations on European soil.
Sources: Süddeutsche Zeitung; Euronews; DW; Militarnyi; The Guardian
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