“No matter what Putin did, the German economy remained untouchable!” Renowned business journalist Birgit Jennen describes Germany’s “very myopic export model”—one that persists to this day. Vladimir Putin has taken advantage of this approach.

Putins Marionetten. Das geheime Netzwerk der deutschen Wirtschaft

At the latest since 2014, with the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in Donbass, a problem with Russia was evident. Yet Germany continued to trade briskly with Russia.

Did the economy have too much influence on German politics? asks Birgit Jennen in her latest book. The author shows how Germany’s economy sometimes acted against security interests, influenced politics—and in doing so also had the support of former high-ranking police and intelligence officials.

Economic ties with Russia have existed for a very long time. The critical question, however, is when these connections became a security threat. The book expands the discussion of institutional and political failures to include the economic and financial ties that influenced political decisions over the years and had repercussions for national security. Here, too, connections to the fugitive Wirecard manager and Putin agent Jan Marsalek are revealed and examined.

Someone may not have liked the book project: Suddenly, strange incidents began to pile up: emails disappeared, the trunk of her car was left open twice, and a guest from Bulgaria trashed her vacation apartment. This matter has not been resolved. But one thing is clear: Jenne’s findings are certainly explosive.