BERLIN (AP) — Germany summoned Russia's ambassador Friday following accusations of sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference, an official said.
The German government has also accused Moscow of perpetrating disinformation campaigns.
“The goal of these Russian cyber and disinformation attacks is clear: It is to divide society, stir up mistrust, provoke rejection, and weaken confidence in democratic institutions,” German foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said.
“This targeted manipulation of information is one of a wide range of activities by Russia aimed at undermining confidence in democratic institutions and processes in Germany," he said during a government news conference.
German officials have previously accused Russia of hybrid warfare attacks to destabilize Europe. Moscow didn't immediately return a request for comment Friday.
Giese said that the shadowy Russian military intelligence agency known as GRU was behind a 2024 cyberattack against German air traffic control. The foreign ministry says GRU was responsible for the attack that was allegedly perpetrated by hacker collective APT28, also known as Fancy Bear.
APT28 and GRU have also been linked to global cyber intrusions, including in the 2016 U.S. election, where they were accused of aiding U.S. President Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party emails.
Giese also said investigators believe GRU also attempted to destabilize and influence Germany's last federal election, held in February.
“Our services’ analysis shows that the campaign spreads artificially-generated, pseudo-investigative research, deepfake image sequences, pseudo-journalistic websites, and fabricated witness statements on various platforms,” he said.
Russia will face a series of countermeasures for its hybrid warfare, Giese said.
“The German government condemns the repeated and unacceptable attacks by state-controlled Russian actors in the strongest possible terms," he said. “We will continue to strengthen our support for Ukraine and our deterrence and defense.”
