DST News: Germany has accused Russia of carrying out a cyber attack on its air traffic control systems and attempting to interfere in the recent federal election. The Russian ambassador in Berlin has been summoned following the allegations.
A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Friday that the country’s intelligence agencies found that Russian military intelligence was involved in a cyber breach against German air traffic control in August 2024. The ministry also said Russia tried to influence and destabilise the federal election that took place in February.
These claims come at a time of rising concern across Europe about suspected Russian cyber operations since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Russia firmly rejected the accusations. In a statement quoted by AFP, the Russian embassy in Berlin said the claims were baseless and described them as absurd.
Germany said it is preparing a set of counter measures in cooperation with European partners to ensure that Russia faces consequences for what officials described as hybrid actions.
In the past year, both the United Kingdom and Romania have reported similar incidents. They accused Russia of trying to interfere in domestic affairs and of targeting organisations involved in support for Ukraine as well as presidential elections.
German intelligence officials said the cyber attack on air traffic control was linked to Fancy Bear, a well known Russian hacker group believed by many security experts to work with the GRU military intelligence service.
According to the foreign ministry spokesperson, the findings clearly show GRU responsibility for the incident.
The ministry also accused Moscow of running a coordinated disinformation campaign known as Storm 1516. Officials said the effort focused on spreading false content about political figures including Green Party candidate Robert Habeck and CDU candidate Friedrich Merz, who is now serving as chancellor.
Security agencies said they detected fake videos claiming ballot fraud circulating online only days before the election. Officials described them as part of a wider Russian disinformation effort.
Germany’s air navigation authority confirmed that office communications had been hacked in August 2024. It said no flights were affected.
Fancy Bear has been linked to several major cyber intrusions worldwide including the leak of World Anti Doping Agency data and the 2016 breach of the United States Democratic National Committee.
Relations between Germany and Russia have deteriorated sharply since the invasion of Ukraine. Germany has become one of the strongest supporters of Kyiv by providing military, financial and diplomatic backing. Chancellor Merz has repeatedly accused Russia of waging cyber warfare against Germany and has called for frozen Russian assets to be used to help Ukraine.
Tensions however were already strained before the war. In 2019, an ethnic Chechen was shot dead by a Russian national in Berlin’s Tiergarten Park. German prosecutors suspected the killer was acting on orders from Russian state security, and Germany subsequently expelled two Russian diplomats.
Moscow has yet to comment on the latest allegations in detail, but in previous cases it has denied any involvement in sabotage or hybrid operations in Europe.
Source: BBC
