Germany Accuses Russia of Sabotage, Cyberattacks and Disinformation

The German foreign ministry’s announcement, which Russia denied, was the latest suggestion of growing Russian aggression in Europe.People lining up to vote in federal elections in eastern Germany last February. A spokesman for the German foreign affairs ministry said Friday that Russia spread misinformation about major candidates in the general election this year.Credit...Jens Schlueter/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDec. 12, 2025, 1:55 p.m. ETGermany accused Russia on Friday of using cyberattacks, espionage and disinformation campaigns to undermine the country’s infrastructure and social cohesion, in the latest suggestion that Russian aggression has spilled beyond Ukraine into other parts of Europe.The German government announced it had summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin to lodge a formal complaint about acts that it said had included a cyberattack on air traffic control in August 2024 and an attempt to spread disinformation about German politicians during a general election campaign earlier this year.“For some time now, we have been observing a massive increase in threatening hybrid activity by Russia, ranging from disinformation campaigns to espionage and cyberattacks to attempts at sabotage,” said Martin Giese, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry, at a press briefing in Berlin on Friday.“Based on comprehensive analysis by the German intelligence services, we have been able to clearly identify Moscow’s signature and prove its responsibility,” Mr. Giese said.The Russian foreign ministry denied the accusations in a statement on Friday, characterizing the German announcement “as yet another unfriendly step aimed at inciting anti-Russian sentiment in Germany and undermining Russian-German relations.”Germany’s announcement came as it tried to bolster Ukraine’s position in negotiations for a cease-fire with Russia, amid American and Russian efforts to persuade Kyiv to accept a less favorable deal.The accusation of sabotage is the latest in a sequence of similar claims in Europe, where officials have blamed Russia for drone flights over Danish and Belgian airports, the jamming of aviation-navigation systems over Sweden and using cans to smuggle explosives into Poland. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said this month that his country was “ready” for war if Europe started it.Germany is a major donor of military aid to Ukraine but has been careful to avoid appearing as a direct participant in the nearly four-year conflict.In a news conference, Mr. Giese said Russian operatives had tried during a German election campaign in early 2025 to spread fake news about prominent politicians who had been especially critical of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.Mr. Giese attributed the misinformation to a group called Storm-1516. The government had previously said the group spread false claims that Friedrich Merz, who became chancellor after the election, experienced mental health episodes that required hospitalization; Robert Habeck, a leading politician from the Green Party, had mistreated a child; and Annalena Baerbock, then foreign minister, had an affair with a sex worker.In recent years, tensions between the two countries have become increasingly common and public.In May 2023, Germany ordered the closure four of the five Russian consulates in the country to close after Moscow limited the number of German diplomatic staff members allowed in Russia.The chiefs of three German intelligence agencies said, in a rare public testimony in October 2024, that they had proof that Russia was targeting the country in hybrid attacks.In September, Mr. Merz said in a newspaper interview, “We are not at war, but we no longer live in peace either.”Paul Sonne contributed additional reporting.Christopher F. Schuetze is a reporter for The Times based in Berlin, covering politics, society and culture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.SKIP