Germany Summons Russian Ambassador After Russia Hacks Air Traffic Control and Orchestrates Election Interference

Germany summoned Russia's ambassador on Dec. 12 after publicly accusing Moscow of conducting two linked hybrid operations.

“Germany has accused Russia of a cyber-attack on air traffic control and attempted electoral interference, and summoned the Russian ambassador”

Albanian Daily News

One was an August 2024 cyber-breach of German air-traffic control attributed to the GRU-linked hacker group APT28 (aka Fancy Bear).

Albanian Daily News

The other was a coordinated disinformation campaign dubbed Storm 1516 that Berlin says tried to influence and destabilise the February federal election.

German officials said they would coordinate countermeasures with EU partners and support new individual EU-level sanctions in response.

The move follows mounting European concern about alleged Russian espionage, drone flights near airports, sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation.

German officials attributed the August 2024 breach to APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, and to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, a characterization echoed across outlets that cited Foreign Office statements and intelligence assessments.

Spokespeople emphasized confidence in the attribution, with Berlin saying there was "clear evidence" linking the attack to APT28 and German security services describing the findings as the "hallmarks" of GRU activity.

Arise News

At the same time, German authorities declined to publish technical details of the intrusion, saying operational sensitivities and concerns about protecting intelligence limit what they can disclose.

Berlin outlined the alleged phasing and content of the 'Storm 1516' campaign.

“Posted By free, fresh, fair Azat TV Quick Read On Friday, Germany took the extraordinary step of summoning Russia’s ambassador in Berlin, publicly accusing Moscow of orchestrating a sophisticated cyberattack on the nation’s air traffic control systems and launching a concerted effort to meddle in the country’s federal elections earlier in 2024”

Azat TV

Officials say the campaign used deepfakes, manipulated videos and pseudo-investigative material to target senior politicians and to spread false claims about ballot manipulation and other electoral malpractices.

Reporting across outlets identifies lead Green candidate Robert Habeck and CDU lead candidate, and now chancellor, Friedrich Merz among the specific targets, and notes German fact-checkers debunked several of the claims.

Berlin announced a package of coordinated countermeasures with EU partners, including backing targeted sanctions, stepping up intelligence sharing and considering tighter monitoring of Russian diplomatic movements in the Schengen area.

Several outlets linked the announcement to broader EU moves, including discussions over how to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

BBC

Outlets also noted that officials declined to provide operational cyber-technical details to protect intelligence methods.

Moscow's immediate public response was mixed in the reporting: several outlets quoted the Russian embassy in Berlin dismissing the allegations as 'baseless, unfounded and absurd,' while others reported no immediate comment.

“BERLIN (AP) – Germany summoned Russia’s ambassador Friday following accusations of sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference, an official said”

breitbart

Coverage differs on tone and emphasis — some pieces stress Moscow's categorical denials, others highlight European alarm and the potential implications for Germany-Russia diplomatic ties and Western support for Ukraine.

Channels Television