The German Foreign Office said Friday it summoned the Russian ambassador, Sergei Nechayev, over allegations of repeated hybrid attacks on Germany.
The move followed what officials described as mounting evidence of coordinated Russian activity aimed at undermining Germany's internal stability.
"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," Foreign Office spokesperson Martin Giese said.
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The Foreign Office listed some cases that it said were perpetrated by Moscow.
In one instance, Giese said, a cyberattack against Germany's air traffic control authority in August 2024 could be clearly attributed to the Russian hacker group "Fancy Bear."
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In another case, Berlin claimed it was now certain that Russia attempted to influence the most recent general election. According to Germany, this was done through the propagandist group "Storm 1516,โ which creates and spreads online disinformation to further the interests of the Russian government.
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Two days before the early federal election in February, the government said security agencies had identified fake videos alleging ballot manipulation as part of a Russian disinformation effort.
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Russia is accused of various acts of hybrid warfare โ actions that fall below the threshold of open military conflict but are designed to weaken states politically. They include:
- Hacking government ministries, parliaments, and defense institutions
- Targeting critical infrastructure such as energy grids, transport systems and air traffic control
- Spreading disinformation during election campaigns
- Amplifying fake stories or manipulated content via social media
- Using bot networks and troll farms to influence voter sentiment
- Targeting specific candidates seen as unfavorable to Moscow
- Acts of sabotage against railways, cables, pipelines, or military logistics
- Surveillance or targeting of infrastructure linked to Ukraine support
- Encouraging or facilitating irregular migration toward EU border
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I think you should read the latest US NatSec strategy that came out two weeks. Also the leaked bits about pushing several countries to leave the EU. The US and RU have a common interest in the EU breaking apart. One of them has much more resources and leverage than the other. For example a lot of the Russian gas was replaced with US gas. And that's just one point of significant leverage.