Guess Which Country German Intel Blames for "Undermining" Europe-US Relations

German intelligence has accused Russia of systematic attempts to undermine close ties between Europe and the United States, the Spiegel magazine said Saturday citing a report commissioned by the German government.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — According to the German magazine, the report says that Russian influence has been present in the EU member states for years. Moscow has been trying "to fuel" social conflicts in the Western countries and put a close EU partnership with the United States "under question," the report said.

The report was prepared by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the BfV domestic intelligence agency under the government's request to investigate Russian activity in the country.

In December 2016, reports emerged that the German government feared potential influence on the 2017 parliamentary elections from Russia after the US Central Intelligence Agency had accused Moscow of being behind cyberattacks against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) computer systems in an attempt to influence the November US presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them absurd and characterizing them as an attempt to divert US public opinion from revelations of corruption as well as other pressing domestic issues.

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