Germany on Friday summoned the Russian ambassador in connection with a cyberattack and disinformation campaign.
The government has attributed a major cyberattack and a disinformation campaign during the last federal parliamentary election campaign to Russia, and the Russian ambassador has therefore been summoned to the Foreign Office, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Giese told journalists in Berlin.
"The goal of this Russian cyber disinformation is clear: it is about dividing society and creating mistrust," he added.
According to Giese, these cyberattacks would also have political consequences as it would “endanger (German) security.”
He said that his country, in coordination with its European partners, would “take a series of countermeasures to show Russia the price it will pay for its hybrid actions.”
Giese also blamed Russia for a cyberattack on German air traffic control.
The cyberattack, which took place in August 2024, has been clearly attributed to the hacker collective APT28, known as "Fancy Bear," and to the responsibility of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, he said.
Furthermore, it can now be "conclusively stated" that Russia attempted "to influence and destabilize both the last federal election and the ongoing internal affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany," he added.
According to Giese, the German government has been observing an increase in hybrid threats from Russia for some time.
Commenting on allegations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said levelling such accusations against Moscow is “a favorite pastime worldwide.”
Peskov said that Russian authorities have repeatedly denied involvement in cyberattacks and hacker activities, and expressed readiness to cooperate in combating hacking and engaging in dialogue on cybersecurity.
