The New York TimesThe New York Times

Discreetly, Berlin confronts Russian spies hiding in plain sight

By Erika Solomon

02 May 2023 · 5 min read

Editor's Note

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." The NYT reports on the "silent espionage struggle" that has played out for years along Berlin's iconic Under den Linden avenue.

BERLIN — Every day as he settles into his desk, Erhard Grundl, a German lawmaker, looks outside his office window into the embassy he knows may be spying on him.

“I come into the office, and on a windy day, I see the Russian flag waving. It feels a bit like Psalm 23: ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,’” he said, chuckling. “I’m not religious, but I always think of that.”

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