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August Hanning was head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service under Gerhard Schröder during the period in which Berlin got hooked on Russian energy, with Hanning backing Nord Stream 1. Days after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine, Hanning publicly argued Western arms deliveries wouldn’t make much difference and said he hoped “normal relations” with Russia could be restored soon. After the Nord Stream explosion, he quickly and baselessly made accusations about Polish and Ukrainian responsibility, and suggested Germany should seek compensation from Poland and Ukraine. Hanning has also previously smeared Latvia. He joined the supervisory council of Norvik Banka, later PNB Banka, which subsequently collapsed. Its insolvency administrator later brought a €32 million damages claim against former board and supervisory council members, including Hanning. During the process, Hanning publicly made sweeping allegations of corruption about Latvian officials and institutions. In later arbitration proceedings, an international tribunal said he made unsubstantiated claims. He has today been arrested on suspicion of espionage, attempted treason and obtaining state secrets.