German Foreign Ministry summons Russian ambassador over surge in cyberattacks

Germany's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin and stated that it had made it clear: there will be consequences for hybrid attacks supported by the government in Moscow aimed at undermining democracy. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.

Details

"We have been observing a massive increase in threatening hybrid actions by Russia for some time," said ministry spokesman Martin Giese at a regular government briefing in Berlin on Friday.

"This ranges from disinformation campaigns and espionage to cyberattacks and attempted acts of sabotage," Giese added, noting that the German government has clear evidence of the involvement of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, in two specific incidents.

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These were the 2024 cyberattack on the German air traffic control system by a hacker group called "Fancy Bear" and interference in the February elections and other internal affairs through a campaign called "Storm 1516."

Together with its European partners, Germany will take "a series of countermeasures to make Russia pay a price for its hybrid actions," Giese said, including new sanctions against individuals, such as travel bans and asset freezes.

Recall

European countries are considering joint offensive cyber operations and surprise military exercises in response to Russia's hybrid attacks. This comes amid an unprecedented number of sabotage acts and attempted attacks linked to Moscow.