Germany has accused Russia of carrying out a cyber-attack on its air traffic control systems in August 2024 and attempting to interfere in the country’s federal election, prompting Berlin to summon the Russian ambassador.
A German foreign ministry spokesman said intelligence findings showed Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, was responsible for the attack, which was attributed to the Fancy Bear hacker group, and for a broader disinformation campaign aimed at destabilising German politics.
The spokesman added that Moscow had sought to influence both the February federal election and Germany’s internal affairs through a campaign known as Storm 1516, which targeted leading politicians including Green Party candidate Robert Habeck and CDU leader Friedrich Merz, now chancellor.
German security agencies said fake videos alleging ballot manipulation were identified just days before the election, while the country’s air navigation service provider confirmed its office communications were hacked but flights were not disrupted.
Berlin said it would respond in close coordination with European partners and impose counter-measures to make Russia “pay a price” for what it described as hybrid actions.
The accusations come amid heightened concern across Europe over suspected Russian cyber operations since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the UK and Romania also making similar claims in the past year.
Russia has categorically rejected the allegations, with its embassy in Berlin calling them baseless, unfounded and absurd, and denying any involvement in cyber-attacks or hacker groups.
Relations between Germany and Russia have sharply deteriorated in recent years, particularly since the Ukraine war, as Berlin has become one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters and has repeatedly accused Moscow of cyber warfare and other hostile activities.
Chancellor Merz
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