Germany is experiencing the atmosphere of a second Cold War

Mysterious holes found in the walls of a military base… Alleged plot to assassinate the head of Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer… Eavesdropping scandal on the army… All of these aren’t stories taken from a spy novel from the 1960s, but real events that took place in Germany this year.

Moscow cannot be blamed for all these events, but Germany is on high alert for possible Russian sabotage, due to Berlin’s continued military support for Kiev in its war with Moscow.

As the fierce war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, there are fears that Europe is sliding into a new Cold War.

“When we think of the Cold War, we tend to think of the 1970s, when the rules of the game became clear,” says Mark Galeotti, a fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based defense and security think tank, who spoke to BBC.

“In a way, we are now in the early Cold War (the 1950s and 1960s), so it’s a much more difficult period.”

But what would a rekindled Cold War look like for Europe’s largest economy and a country once divided in two by the Iron Curtain?

The biggest crisis came last month when CNN reported that US officials had tipped off Berlin to an alleged Russian plot to kill the chief executive of Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms company.

The Kremlin denied the report, but German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized Russia for waging a hybrid war of aggression.

Rheinmetall company produces artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine, and if the plot to kill its 61-year-old chief executive, Armin Papperger, had succeeded, it would have sent shock waves through the Western world.

Shortly before that, a security lapse allowed spies to eavesdrop on a highly sensitive conversation between senior German air force officials, which was later broadcast on Russian television, causing great embarrassment for Berlin and prompting accusations that Germany had long been a weak link in European counter-espionage.

Weeks after the spying case, two German-Russian citizens were arrested on suspicion of planning to sabotage US military installations in Bavaria.

Baerbock summoned the Russian ambassador to complain, saying, “We’ll not allow Putin to bring his terror to Germany”.

Over the past week, holes have been found in the walls of water installations supplying two military bases in North Rhine-Westphalia, with fears that someone is trying to contaminate the supply.

Germany isn’t the only European country targeted by apparent sabotage, but it’s home to many US military bases established in the aftermath of World War II.

As for Mark Galeotti, he believes that Moscow sees Germany as a large but flabby power, making it an ideal pressure point.

In contrast, the most significant act of sabotage to have affected Germany in recent years was the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia.

Speculation has swirled about who ordered the attack ever since, but in a dramatic development Germany has issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diving instructor.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the limited operation was privately funded but overseen by Ukraine, a report Kiev dismissed as nonsense.

The fact that Ukrainian figures are now in the spotlight over the Nord Stream bombings has sparked fresh criticism from familiar political factions within Germany about the government’s support for Kiev.

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, called for a halt to aid payments to Kiev and for Ukraine to be charged with the damage caused by the Nord Stream project.

So, as the specter of the Cold War looms over Europe, the policies of that era have also been revived in Germany in a stark and unexpected way.

In an attempt to bolster security, the German government is working on a new law aimed at strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructure.

The German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said there must be maximum protection measures in all areas.

In addition, there are also controversial plans for the United States to deploy long-range missiles in Germany starting in 2026.

When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a turning point in German national defense and security policy.

But both government supporters and critics acknowledge that reversing years of underinvestment in defense will take time, as will adjusting a mindset that has been heavily influenced by Germany’s military past.

“It’s not just about rebuilding defense,” says Mark Galeotti, “but also improving cybersecurity and counterintelligence”.

“Security planning doesn’t happen over weeks or months, it happens over years,” he added.