Germany summons Russian ambassador over cyberattacks – promises response
Hacker attack (Illustrative photo: ERA)

The Russian ambassador has been summoned to the German Foreign Ministry in connection with cyberattacks and a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at interfering with the federal election campaign and the country's internal processes. About reported in the German Foreign Ministry and German radio Deutschlandfunk with link on the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

"We condemn these attacks and will respond – firmly and unanimously with our partners," the statement said.

According to a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, involved the Russian hacker group Fancy Bear and the enemy's military intelligence (GRU) may be involved in an air attack on German airspace in August 2024.

In addition, the ministry claims that it can be said with certainty that Russia tried to influence the last Bundestag elections and has been constantly trying to influence and destabilize Germany's internal affairs.

In August 2024, the German state-owned air traffic control company DFS suffered a cyberattack from a hacker group linked to Russian intelligence services. The attack affected the "administrative IT infrastructure, i.e., office communications were disrupted." According to publication BR24, the APT28 group was involved in the attack, which is linked to the Russian GRU.

REFERENCE
Fancy Bear (also known as APT28, Strontium, or Pawn Storm) is a cyber-espionage group that is linked to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff. It is known for its large-scale cyberattacks on political organizations, government agencies, and media outlets around the world.
  • In June, Germany said about the record number of attacks by Russian hackers because of assistance to Ukraine. The targets of the attacks were mainly state and federal institutions.
  • In September, the European airport check-in and boarding service provider became a victim of a cyber attack. As a result, a number of European airports, including Berlin, experienced problems with check-in and flight delays.
  • on November 27, it became known that Europe is thinking about how to respond to actions russian agents and Russian drones flying into NATO countries.