Germany calls in Russian Ambassador over air traffic control hack claims

Germany summoned Russia’s ambassador after accusing Moscow of cyber attacks against its air traffic control authority and of running a disinformation campaign ahead of February’s election. The government says it has clear evidence linking the August 2024 cyberattack on Deutsche Flugsicherung to the Russia-nexus group APT28 (also known as Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm, Sofacy Group, Sednit, BlueDelta and STRONTIUM).

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said Russia’s activity includes attempts to influence and destabilise Germany’s federal election through the Storm 1516 disinformation campaign. Russia’s embassy in Berlin has not commented on the latest claims and has previously rejected similar accusations as baseless.