Germany has accused Russia of carrying out a cyberattack targeting the country’s air traffic control system and of orchestrating a destabilisation campaign during its most recent federal elections, prompting Berlin to summon the Russian ambassador.
Alleged cyberattack on air traffic control
Speaking at a regular press briefing, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, was responsible for a cyberattack carried out in August 2024 against Germany’s air traffic control systems.
“The Russian military intelligence service GRU is responsible for this cyberattack,” the spokesperson said, according to Reuters.
Claims of election interference
Germany also accused Moscow of attempting to influence and destabilise the February federal elections through an operation known as Storm1516.
“Russia attempted, through the Storm1516 campaign, to influence and destabilise the recent elections,” the spokesperson added.
As a result of the allegations, Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry on Friday.
“That is why we summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry this morning and made it clear that we are monitoring Russia’s actions very closely and will take action against them,” the spokesperson said.
The Russian embassy in Berlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse.
Source: AMNA