Germany has accused Russia of a cyber-attack on air traffic control and attempted electoral interference, summoning the Russian ambassador in response.
A foreign ministry spokesman claimed that Russian military intelligence was behind a cyber-attack against German air traffic control in August 2024. The official also stated that Russia aimed to influence and destabilise the country's federal election held in February of this year.
The allegations come amid rising fears in Europe regarding suspected Russian cyber-attacks since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In a swift rebuttal, Russia categorically denied the claims, calling them absurd.
The accusations of Russian state structures' involvement in these incidents and in the activities of hacker groups in general are baseless, unfounded, and absurd, said Russia's embassy in Berlin.
Germany's foreign ministry announced that it would respond in coordination with its European partners, planning counter-measures to hold Russia accountable for its hybrid actions.
In recent incidents, both the UK and Romania have made similar allegations against Russia concerning meddling in their domestic affairs and elections.
The cyber-attack on Germany is attributed to the Fancy Bear hacker group, linked to Russian military intelligence (GRU). Further, the ministry spokesperson noted that the intent was to disrupt internal politics through a disinformation campaign dubbed 'Storm 1516', which criticized candidates like Green Party's Robert Habeck and CDU's Friedrich Merz, the latter now serving as chancellor.
In the lead-up to the elections, German security officials identified fake videos alleging election fraud as part of the Russian disinformation efforts.
Germany's air navigation service confirmed that its communications were hacked in August, although flight operations were not affected.
Fancy Bear has gained notoriety for its involvement in prior notable cyber incidents, including the 2016 hacking of the US Democratic National Committee.
As tensions remain high following Russia's aggression in Ukraine, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for utilizing frozen Russian assets to assist Ukraine, consistently accusing Russia of waging cyber warfare against Germany.
Relations have been tense for years, aggravated by previous incidents, including the 2019 assassination of an ethnic Chechen in Berlin, allegedly ordered by Russian state security.
Though Moscow has not yet formally responded to these latest allegations, it has a history of rejecting European claims regarding its involvement in cyber sabotage or hybrid warfare.
