Germany recalls its ambassador to Russia in response to cyberattacks by Russian hackers

Germany’s ambassador to Moscow will return to the country after Berlin accused Moscow of launching cyber attacks on its defense companies, the aerospace industry and the ruling party, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday, Reuters quoted .

“The foreign minister recalled Ambassador (Otto) Graf Lambsdorff to Berlin for consultations,” after Berlin blamed Moscow for a cyber espionage campaign by APT 28, a group with ties to Moscow’s GRU military intelligence agency, said the spokesman.

The recall is in accordance with diplomatic protocol and Lambsdorff will remain in Berlin for a week before returning to Moscow, the spokesman added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy in Berlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

The allegations come amid heightened anxiety in Europe about suspected Russian hackers and spies who have stepped up their activities in the run-up to European elections.

Berlin said the attacks, which began two years ago, targeted Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD), as well as companies in the logistics, defense, aerospace and IT sectors. He did not provide details of the damage for security reasons.

The APT28 group — also known as “Fancy Bear” — exploited an unknown vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook to compromise email accounts, according to German authorities.

The cyber campaign also affected other countries, including the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.

Relations between Russia and Germany, which was the largest buyer of Russian oil and gas, broke with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Germany will not be represented at the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin for his next six-year term on Tuesday, a Foreign Office spokesman said.