German Interior Ministry sees no evidence of Russian involvement in pipe incidents

The German Interior Ministry has found no evidence that Russia has anything to do with a series of incidents involving the filling of exhaust pipes with mounting foam. This was stated by ministry spokesman Lars Harmsen at a briefing on February 6.

"What I can say is that at the moment the Interior Ministry has no evidence, no concrete evidence of Russian involvement or relevant background," the official said, his words quoted by RIA Novosti.

He pointed out that the investigation into the incidents is still ongoing and would not want to get ahead of itself on the results.

The day before, on February 5, Der Spiegel magazine reported that across Germany found more than 270 cars whose exhaust pipes were plugged with mounting foam. In addition, unidentified people stuck stickers on these cars with the inscription "Be greener!" and a photo of Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor, Minister of Economy of Germany and candidate for the head of the government from the Green Party. Local security services, according to the magazine, see the incidents as an attempt to stir up hatred against the party and its candidate for chancellor during the election campaign.

Never say never: conservatives in Germany are moving closer to the far right

The CDU/CSU bloc was able to push an initiative to tighten migration policy through parliament with the help of the AdH

The Tagesspiegel newspaper reported on February 5 that Lars Klingbeil, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), had on at least two occasions called on incumbent German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz to refuse to run again in the upcoming election. Others in the SPD fear that the political force will lose early federal elections if Scholz represents it.

The results of a poll by the Insa Institute for Public Opinion Research, published on February 2, showed that in Germany 32% of respondents support the formation of a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the SPD in parliament after the elections.

Prior to that, Scholz fired Finance Minister and leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) Christian Lindner from the cabinet on November 6, 2024. The latter explained that the chancellor had thus ended cooperation with the entire FDP.

Scholz later brought a vote of confidence in the government, which was considered in the Bundestag on December 16. As a result, parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the cabinet, after which President Frank Walter-Steinmeier called a snap election to be held on February 23.