Germany recalls its ambassador to Russia for or consultations
Germany said on Monday it would recall its ambassador to Russia for consultations after Berlin accused Moscow of cyberattacks targeting defense and space companies and the ruling party.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff would return to Berlin in line with diplomatic protocol, three days after the Russian ambassador was summoned to protest a campaign of cyberattacks that Berlin says was launched by a group linked to Russian military intelligence two years ago.
Germany last week accused Russian military agents of carrying out cyberattacks targeting members of the ruling Social Democrats and other sensitive government and industrial targets.
The German Foreign Ministry said the government took the latest incident seriously and that Minister Annalena Baerbock decided to summon German Ambassador Alexander Lambsdorff, adding that he would return to Moscow in a week.
The accusations come at a time of growing concern in Europe about attacks by suspected Russian hackers and spies since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and in the run-up to European Parliament elections.
Berlin joined NATO and other European countries in issuing a serious warning that Russian cyber espionage would have consequences.
