Sanctions against Russia for the country’s invasion of Ukraine are nothing new. Dell, Ericsson, Logitech, Google, Mozilla, Microsoft and others have already severed relations with Russia in the past few months. Now Germany has fired the head of its cybersecurity service because of its close ties to the Russian government.

According to the BBC, Germany has fired Arne Schoenbom, head of the Federal Office for Information Security, also known as the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI). This is because German media claim that the executive branch has close ties to the Russian special services. Although the investigation continued, Schoenbohm was dismissed and took effect immediately.

Journalistic investigations by the German media revealed Schoenbom’s ties to the Russian company Protelion. This firm is allegedly founded by a former cadebist who was also awarded by President Putin. The link between Schönbohm and Protelion was that Protelion was also a member of a private association called Cyber ​​Security Council Germany founded by Schönbohm. German politicians and firms often consult this association.

After the matter was made public, Schönbohm was dismissed by the German government, and Interior Minister Nancy Faser noted:

As head of Germany’s most important cybersecurity agency, the necessary public confidence in the impartiality and impartiality of his leadership was shattered.

It’s important to understand that the strained relationship between Russia and the European Union (EU) creates a major conflict of interest when it turns out that the head of Germany’s cybersecurity service potentially shares intelligence with Russia. Germany has yet to announce Schoenbom’s successor at BSI.