In his statement on the case in December, the president of the BND, Bruno Kahl, said the success of the investigation would depend on ensuring as little information as possible became public. “Restraint and discretion are very important in this particular case. With Russia, we are dealing with an actor on the other side whose unscrupulousness and willingness to use violence we have to reckon with,” he said. “Every detail of this operation that becomes public means an advantage for this adversary in his intention to harm Germany.” A former senior BND officer, Gerhard Conrad, said until the precise nature...