The German government has pointed the finger at Moscow after a failed push at the UN Security Council, with Britain throwing its weight behind Berlin’s frustrated bid. Diplomatic cables seen by this newsroom reveal a deepening rift between Berlin and Moscow, as Germany accuses Russia of orchestrating the council’s rejection of a resolution aimed at expanding sanctions on entities linked to the Wagner Group. Sources inside the German foreign ministry confirm that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration is “livid” over what they see as a calculated Kremlin campaign to block any move that threatens its mercenary network.
The resolution, which needed nine votes and no vetoes, was torpedoed when Russia used its veto power for the second time this year. British diplomats, however, rallied behind Germany’s draft, with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly calling the Russian move “a flagrant abuse of power”. But the real story here is not just about a single UN vote.
It is about Germany waking up to the limits of its diplomatic influence. For years, Berlin has tried to maintain a dialogue with Moscow, even as evidence mounted of Russian interference in Ukraine and beyond. Now, a confidential briefing from the federal intelligence service, the BND, warns that Russia is actively working to isolate Germany within European security structures.
The timing could not be worse: Germany is still reeling from the Nord Stream sabotage and the economic fallout of sanctions. Documents leaked from the German chancellery show that Berlin had been counting on at least ten votes for its resolution, including from African nations that have bought Wagner’s services. But a backchannel campaign by Russian agents, operating out of the embassy in New York, successfully flipped at least two key votes in the hours before the vote.
One unnamed German diplomat told this newsroom: “We thought we had the numbers. Then the Kremlin made calls, and suddenly Nigeria and Gabon went cold.” The Russians, of course, deny everything.
But the paper trail of phone records and encrypted messages suggests otherwise. Meanwhile, Britain’s backing is both a lifeline and a trap for Scholz. London’s support comes with strings attached: a demand for harder action against Russian oligarchs and money laundering through German banks.
Berlin has long dragged its feet on this, fearing damage to its financial sector. Now, with the UN defeat fresh, Whitehall is pushing for a bilateral agreement that would force German banks to report suspicious transactions linked to Kremlin cronies. The question is whether Scholz can afford to say no.
His coalition is fracturing, with the Greens demanding tougher sanctions and the FDP warning of economic damage. And the clock is ticking: the UN General Assembly session starts in two weeks, and Germany is pushing for a vote there on the same issue, hoping to avoid another Russian veto. But if the BND report is right, Moscow has already infiltrated Berlin’s plans.
The result: a government that thought it could play global power is now learning that in the Security Council, muscle matters more than good intentions. And for all Britain’s support, London may be using Berlin’s humiliation to advance its own post-Brexit agenda. Sources in the Foreign Office confirm that Britain is already preparing a rival resolution that would name Russia directly, something Germany has avoided.
The stakes could not be higher: if Germany fails to regain the initiative, it will be reduced to a spectator in the very conflict that defines European security. And the people who lose first are not the diplomats, but the victims of Wagner’s atrocities in Africa and Ukraine.
