Germany accuses Russia of cyberattack on air traffic control

Germany has accused Russia of a cyberattack on air traffic control and attempts to interfere in federal elections, summoning the Russian ambassador to Berlin.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Russian military intelligence was behind a “cyberattack against German air traffic control in August 2024.” He also added that Moscow had aimed to influence and destabilize the federal elections held in February this year.

These new allegations come at a time of increased concerns in Europe about suspected Russian cyberattacks since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There has been no official reaction from Russia yet, writes the BBC, reports Dukagjini.

The ministry stressed that Germany, in close coordination with European partners, will respond with countermeasures to make Russia "pay the price for its hybrid actions."

Over the past year, both the United Kingdom and Romania have accused Russia of interfering in their internal affairs, including attacks on organizations providing aid to Ukraine and interference in electoral processes.

According to Berlin, the August 2024 cyberattack can be attributed to the Russian hacker group Fancy Bear, linked to the GRU military intelligence service.

"Our intelligence findings clearly prove that the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU, bears responsibility for this attack," the spokesman said.

He added that it is now certain that Moscow has attempted to influence and destabilize both the recent federal elections and internal affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany through a disinformation campaign called Storm 1516.

This campaign, according to the authorities, focused partly on the Green Party's lead candidate, Robert Habeck, and the CDU candidate, Friedrich Merz, who is now chancellor.

The German government announced that security agencies had identified fake videos claiming vote rigging just days before the election - part of a disinformation campaign attributed to Russia.

Meanwhile, the German air navigation service provider confirmed that its office's internal communications were hacked in August 2024, but stressed that flights were not affected.

Fancy Bear is known for leaking World Anti-Doping Agency data and for its role in the cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee in the US in 2016, according to security experts.

Relations between Berlin and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Germany has become one of Kiev's most vocal supporters, offering military, financial and diplomatic assistance.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has strongly called for frozen Russian assets to be used to defend Ukraine and has repeatedly accused Russia of cyberwarfare against Germany.

However, tensions have been present for years. In 2019, a Russian national killed an ethnic Chechen in a Berlin park, and German authorities suspected he was acting on orders from Russian secret services, leading to the expulsion of two Russian diplomats.

Moscow has previously denied similar accusations from European countries of sabotage or hybrid activity, and has yet to react to the latest accusations from Berlin.