Germany accuses Russia of cyberattack on air controllers and election interference

The Russian embassy in Berlin, Germany, December 4, 2019. JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP

Germany on Friday, December 12, accused Russia of a cyberattack targeting its air traffic control and spreading disinformation ahead of February's general election, charges dismissed by Russia as "absurd" and "baseless."

A German foreign ministry spokesperson said security services had proof that hacker groups run by Russia's military intelligence service GRU were responsible for the attack and influence operations. "Based on comprehensive analysis by the German intelligence services, we have been able to clearly identify the handwriting behind it and prove Moscow's responsibility," said the spokesperson.

"We can now clearly attribute the cyberattack against German Air Safety in August 2024 to the hacker collective APT28, also known as Fancy Bear," he told a regular press briefing. "Our intelligence findings prove that the Russian military intelligence service GRU bears responsibility for this attack."

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