German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said there is "good evidence" of Russia's involvement in the "outrageous" cyberattack on Bundestag systems in 2015, reported the newspaper Handelsblatt.

"I take these things very seriously," she said, answering questions from MPs. The Chancellor said the attack was part of a "hybrid warfare strategy" that also included misrepresentation and disorientation. "It's not just a coincidence, it's a strategy," she said.

When asked by members of the Bundestag about the possible consequences, Merkel said: "Of course, we always reserve the right to take action, including against Russia."

At the same time, the German Chancellor noted that she would like to maintain good relations with Russia, but Moscow's actions hinder "trust and cooperation" between the countries.

In early May, the German Prosecutor General's Office put Russian citizens Dmitry Badin on the wanted list. The German authorities suspect him of organizing an attack on the Bundestag in April 2015. According to the prosecutor's office, the attackers downloaded at least 16GB of data, including tens of thousands of emails from parliamentarians. A few days later, Spiegel reported that hackers had also gained access to Merkel's computer. The information, which the hackers got hold of, reveals details of the personal and business life of the Chancellor, as well as the political situation in Germany. The full scale of data leak is no longer possible to determine, the investigation believe.

The German prosecutor's office believes that Badin is a member of the hackers g group Fancy Bear (ART 28), which is associated in the Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (formerly GRU). In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice accused him and several other Russians of hacking into the computer network of the U.S. Democratic National Committee and attacking the servers of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Kremlin denies involvement in the cyberattack on the United States and other countries.

  Merkel, Bundestag, Russia

Comments