German spy agency modernizes image amidst cold war fears

Berlin – A new Netflix series, Unfamiliar, offers a glimpse into the shadowy world of Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, revealing a stark contrast to its historical image of bureaucratic restraint. The show, which has garnered over 20 million global views since its February release, depicts two former BND agents operating a secret safe house while navigating a complex situation involving a Russian agent and a hitman.

The series portrays a bnd far more willing to bend, if not break, the rules than its real-world counterpart.

The narrative centers on Meret and Simon Schäfer, played by Susanne Wolff and Felix Kramer, who uncover secrets linking their past work to a new arrival, GRU agent Josef Koleev (Samuel Finzi). The show’s depiction of the BND as occasionally inept, hampered by oversight, and increasingly aggressive – employing tactics like hacking and extracting information with unconventional methods – stands in stark contrast to the agency’s postwar constraints.

This fictional portrayal resonates with real-world debates surrounding the BND's evolving role. Facing heightened threats from Russian hybrid warfare and a shifting alliance with the U.S., Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government has significantly increased the agency’s budget by approximately 26% to €1.51 billion (£1.3 billion) this year. Proposed legal reforms aim to grant the BND greater powers, including the ability to actively retaliate against cyberattacks and utilize facial recognition technology, measures currently restricted by German data protection laws.

The BND’s historical origins, dating back to the Gehlen Organization established during World War II by U.S. forces to monitor Soviet activity, have shaped its cautious approach. Postwar Germany’s reluctance to empower secret police entities led to a strict separation between police and intelligence agencies, a stark difference from the more expansive powers enjoyed by intelligence services in other nations.

The series also touches upon the agency's vulnerabilities. A recent high-profile incident saw former BND chief Bruno Kahl extracted from Kyiv during the initial stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the agency's apparent unpreparedness. Furthermore, a former vice-president was reportedly compromised by a Russian hacker-linked phishing attempt in 2023. This susceptibility has necessitated reliance on allied agencies like the CIA to counter domestic terror threats.

Paul Coates, the British screenwriter behind Unfamiliar, noted the differences in spycraft between Germany and the UK. He revealed he was repeatedly told about actions that would be off-limits for German spies, even those sanctioned by the BND itself. The series’ depiction of a BND grappling with internal espionage, including a long-term infiltration by a KGB agent during the cold war, underscores the agency’s ongoing challenges.

While Unfamiliar may contribute to a modern image of the BND, the show leverages the agency's reputation for occasional failures to build suspense. The narrative hinges on the presence of a mole within the BND, a plotline rooted in historical reality. One senior officer in the show lamented that allies would revert to withholding information for years, a scenario not entirely far-fetched given the agency's past.

The show's creator, Andreas Bareiss, suggests that Berlin is once again becoming a hub for espionage, echoing the atmosphere of a new Cold War. The BND’s past missteps serve as a cautionary tale, a reminder that even with increased resources and evolving mandates, the agency must constantly adapt to maintain its effectiveness – and public trust. The agency's history suggests that a renewed focus on intelligence gathering could have profound implications for the balance of power in Europe.