BERLIN — On Friday, the German government called in the Russian ambassador amid allegations of sabotage, cyberattacks, and interference in elections.
The government also accused Russia of orchestrating a disinformation campaign.
According to German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Giese, “The aim of these Russian cyber and disinformation attacks is clear: to divide society, sow distrust, provoke rejection, and undermine trust in democratic institutions.”
He added, “This targeted information operation is part of a broader campaign by Russia aimed at undermining confidence in Germany’s democratic institutions and processes,” during a government news conference.
Previously, German officials have charged Russia with conducting hybrid warfare attacks that threaten stability in Europe. There was no immediate response from Moscow on Friday.
Giese stated that Russia’s military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, was behind the cyberattack on German air traffic control in 2024. The Foreign Ministry indicated that the GRU, which has faced sanctions from multiple countries, was supposedly linked to the attack carried out by the hacker group APT28, often referred to as Fancy Bear.
Both APT28 and the GRU have been associated with various global cyberattacks, including accusations of aiding then-U.S. President Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party emails during the 2016 election.
Additionally, Giese mentioned that investigators believe the GRU attempted to influence Germany’s last federal elections in February through a campaign dubbed “Storm 1516.”
“Our analysis shows that this campaign propagates artificially generated pseudo-research studies, deepfake images, pseudo-journalistic websites, and fabricated eyewitness accounts on multiple platforms,” he noted.
Giese indicated that Russia would encounter several countermeasures in response to hybrid warfare tactics.
“The German government strongly condemns the repeated and unacceptable attacks by state-controlled Russian actors,” he remarked. “We will continue to enhance support, deterrence, and defense for Ukraine,” he added.
This diplomatic summons coincides with expectations that the European Union will block Russian assets in Europe until Moscow withdraws from the conflict in Ukraine and provides compensation for the extensive damage caused over nearly four years.
This action is a significant step that will enable EU leaders to explore how to utilize billions of euros in Russian central bank assets to secure large loans that could assist Ukraine with its financial and military requirements in the next couple of years.
