The Bear Is Back: Russia’s Hybrid War and General Ingo Gerhartz

A WebEx call between four German officers, among them the Chief of the Air Force, was intercepted by the Russians and released by Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today, who is known as Putin’s propaganda chief.

Margarita Simonyan does not deny being in charge of Putin’s propaganda and disinformation. Descended from Ottoman Armenians who migrated to Crimea, Simonyan and her husband have been known as a family of journalists serving the palace. A Putin admirer, she has been accused of hypocrisy for hiring American private tutors for her children despite repeatedly calling America an enemy country.

Many American media outlets and FBI officials describe Russia’s return to Soviet-era tactics of attrition from the Cold War with the words “The bear is back”.

“Kompromat” (compromising material) is one of the key terms of Russian intelligence culture. It means neutralising a target by exposing sensitive information obtained about them.

Disinformation is another tactic used by Russian intelligence: spreading false information in order to damage the target’s reputation and mislead the public.

In the war in Ukraine, the Russians can be seen using hybrid-warfare techniques effectively. For example, Iraqi and Afghan migrants who suddenly appeared on the borders of Finland, Poland and Lithuania are directly linked to a deliberate destabilisation of the region.

Another example is the burning of the Quran in Sweden and the covert escalation of tension between Sweden and Turkey over Sweden’s alleged support for the PKK. In both cases there are claims that Russia had a hand in it.

According to the FBI, when the Russians attack individuals with hybrid-warfare techniques they aim for two gains. The first is extracting concessions, the second neutralising the target. The Soviet intelligence machinery achieves this aim through the sudden reaction of Western bureaucracy (knee-jerk reaction).

“Knee-jerk reaction” means Western bureaucracy immediately retiring or sidelining any staff member exposed to a plot, above all honey traps. This attitude of Western states has always played into the hands of Russian intelligence. Even when the targeted person’s mistake is small, the most valuable personnel have fallen victim to such cheap traps because Western administrations behave over-cautiously.

Relying on its technology, the West has always lagged behind the Soviets in information warfare and hybrid tactics. Its biggest mistake is to remove staff named in a scandal from their posts and powers at once, in other words, to punish them.

Knowing this, German Defence Minister Pistorius opened his press statement with the words “I will not sacrifice my best officers to the Russians”. The most important figure the experienced politician protected in the eavesdropping scandal was undoubtedly Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz. And the minister was not wrong to do so.

A soldier of 40 years, Ingo Gerhartz is one of the most experienced pilots in the German Air Force, with more than 2,500 flying hours on four aircraft types and more than 50 missions in Afghanistan. A key figure in bringing the F-35 into the Air Force, Gerhartz is also known as the commander who stemmed the exodus of German pilots from the profession. Once deputy spokesman of the Defence Ministry, Gerhartz also has a political side as an advocate of German–Israeli friendship.

Even the leading media say that the charisma and career of Gerhartz, whom soldiers describe as a hero, have been dented by the leaked WebEx call. Minister Pistorius stood behind his general and said that Putin could not harm Germany’s relations with its allies or its officers with such simple games. With the proviso, of course, “as long as nothing worse emerges from the investigation”.

Gerhartz’s Air Force projects were repeatedly interrupted by Merkel. Backed by the German media, Gerhartz is, for whatever reason, not an officer Olaf Scholz rates highly either. These details are unfortunately not a good sign for the soldier at the centre of the scandal. (Update: In June 2025 Gerhartz handed over command of the Air Force and took charge of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum.)

Experts believe that espionage activity like that of the Cold War is reappearing and that Germany is the Western country Russia has penetrated most.

All eyes are now on the investigation by Germany’s military counter-intelligence service, the Militärischer Abschirmdienst (MAD). Its head, the lawyer Martina Rosenberg, had repeatedly warned about espionage against the German armed forces. Now she will investigate this notorious eavesdropping scandal.