Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov also waded into the argument by accusing German police of covering up the incident. But it later emerged that the girl had made up the rape allegation and had actually spent the night at a friend’s house when she was reported missing. Intelligence services said they are now observing the activities of members of organisations representing the Russian-speaking community, they told members of the German parliament’s supervisory committee at the meeting in February. Another strategy spy chiefs say Moscow is using involves interviews with Russians on state television who have allegedly left Germany because they no longer felt safe because of the influx of refugees. Earlier this week Nato’s most senior expert on strategic communications made similar claims, telling the Observer that Russia is trying to topple Mrs Merkel by waging an information war designed to stir up anger in Germany over refugees. Jānis Sārts, director of Nato’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, said Russia had a track record of funding extremist forces in Europe, and warned that Russia "is establishing a network that can be controlled" and that they were using it in Germany to try to "undercut political processes in a very serious way". Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has previously also been accused by Nato of intentionally fuelling the refugee crisis by bombarding civilian centres in order to “break” Europe. Cooling relations between Germany and Russia may stymie attempts to encourage Russia to help in the refugee crisis. Mrs Merkel’s instrumental role in organising European sanctions against leading Russian businessmen and financial institutions after Moscow illegally annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 led to tension between the two countries. The EU’s leadership wants to negotiate with Russia over fears of a “new influx” of migrants through Finland as refugees try to find other ways into Europe as the Balkan route slams shut. It comes as German police arrested two men suspected of being connected to the assaults linked mainly to men of North African origin on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve, less than a day after releasing their photos. A 26-year-old man was arrested in Kerpen, nearly 19 miles outside Cologne, accused of sexual assault and attempted robbery for reportedly surrounding and groping women, along with others. Police said they had been alerted by local residents about the man of Algerian origin. Another 31-year-old man in Hamm turned himself in, saying he was one of the men pictured in photos released by police earlier this week.
German intelligence chiefs , Hans - Georg Maaßen and Guido Muller have suggested that Russia is trying to destabilise Germany by stoking terror over migrants through its ' easily exploited ' Russian - German population . They suggest there is a particular danger that Russia would exploit the " high mobilisation potential " of Germany 's two - million - strong Russian population . This comes after NATO 's Janis Sarts said earlier this week that Russia had a track record of funding extremist forces in Europe and warned that Russia is creating a controllable vacuum to undercut Germany 's political processes . As we noted last month , the Kremlin 's intervention in an alleged rape case involving a German - Russian girl heightened suspicions that Russia was trying to weaken Chancellor Angela Merkel and destabilise Europe , to create a vacuum where it can project its own propaganda .