The Czech Foreign Minister announced on Monday that he summoned the Russian ambassador to Prague following a wave of cyberattacks attributed to hackers supported by Moscow. Jan Lipavský stated, "I decided to summon the Russian ambassador due to the cyberattacks on essential Czech institutions and infrastructure."
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that the German ambassador to Russia was summoned after Berlin accused Moscow of launching cyberattacks targeting defense and space companies as well as the ruling party. The spokesperson noted, "The Foreign Minister summoned Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff after the German government attributed the series of cyberattacks to the APT28 group affiliated with the Russian military intelligence agency," adding that "this step is in accordance with diplomatic protocol."
The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy in Berlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. These accusations arise amid increasing concern in Europe regarding suspected Russian hackers and spies since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and in the lead-up to the European Parliament elections.
Berlin stated that the attacks, which began two years ago, targeted Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party as well as companies in the logistics, defense, space, and information technology sectors. No specific details about the damages were provided for security reasons.
German authorities noted that the APT28 group exploited a previously unknown security vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook to breach email accounts. According to Germany, the campaign of cyberattacks also affected other countries, including the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden.
