Germany has accused Russia of a cyber-attack on air visitors management and tried electoral interference, and summoned the Russian ambassador.
A overseas ministry spokesman mentioned Russian army intelligence was behind a “cyber-attack in opposition to German air visitors management in August 2024”. The spokesman additionally accused Russia of in search of to affect and destabilise the nation’s federal election in February this yr.
The most recent accusations come amid heightened concern in Europe over suspected Russian cyber-attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia has “categorically rejected” the claims, saying their alleged involvement in such incidents was “absurd”.
“The accusations of Russian state buildings’ involvement in these incidents and within the actions of hacker teams on the whole are baseless, unfounded and absurd,” Russia’s embassy in Berlin mentioned in a press release to AFP information company.
The overseas ministry in Germany mentioned that Berlin – in shut co-ordination with its European companions – would reply with counter-measures to make Russia “pay a value for its hybrid actions”.
Within the final yr, each the UK and Romania have accused Russia of meddling of their home affairs, together with concentrating on organisations that ship overseas help to Ukraine and presidential elections.
The spokesman mentioned the August 2024 cyber-attack on Germany might be attributed to the Fancy Bear Russian hacker group.
“Our intelligence findings show that the Russian army intelligence service GRU bears duty for this assault,” he added.
The ministry spokesman added it was now sure that Moscow had tried to “affect and destabilise each the final federal election and the continuing inside affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany” by means of a disinformation marketing campaign known as Storm 1516.
The marketing campaign, it mentioned, had targeted partly on lead Inexperienced Social gathering candidate Robert Habeck and lead CDU candidate Friedrich Merz, who’s now chancellor.
The German authorities mentioned safety businesses had recognized pretend movies alleging poll manipulation as a part of a Russian disinformation effort simply days earlier than the election.
Its air navigation service supplier confirmed that its workplace communication had been hacked in August 2024. It mentioned flights had not been affected.
Fancy Bear is claimed to have beforehand leaked World Anti-Doping Agency data, and performed a key role in the 2016 cyber-attack on the US Democratic Nationwide Committee, in accordance with safety specialists.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to a serious deterioration in relations between Berlin and Moscow.
Germany has emerged as certainly one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters, offering army, monetary and diplomatic assist for Kyiv.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has known as strongly for frozen Russian property for use to assist defend Ukraine.
He has additionally repeatedly accused Russia of cyber warfare in opposition to his nation.
However relations have been strained for years, even earlier than the Russian invasion.
In 2019, an ethnic Chechen was killed by a Russian nationwide, Vadim Krasikov, in broad daylight in Berlin’s Tiergarten Park. Germany later expelled two Russian diplomats, as prosecutors suspected that he was performing on the orders of Russia’s state safety company.
Whereas it’s but to answer the newest allegations, Moscow has beforehand denied European allegations of a Russian sabotage or hybrid marketing campaign.
