Russia will face consequences of cyber attack, says German Foreign Minister

• Germany’s top diplomat accused Russia’s military intelligence service of orchestrating an intolerable cyberattack.
• There were previous tensions between Germany and Russia due to Germany’s support for Ukraine.
• German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attributed a cyberattack on the Social Democrats to Russian state hackers.

Germany’s top diplomat said Friday that Russia will face consequences after accusing its military intelligence service of planning an “absolutely intolerable” cyberattack.

Relations between the two European countries were already strained, with Germany providing military support to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russian state hackers were behind a cyberattack last year targeting the Social Democrats, the main party in the ruling coalition.

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“Russian state hackers attacked Germany in cyberspace,” he said at a news conference in the Australian city of Adelaide. “We can attribute this attack to the group called APT28, run by Russia’s military intelligence service.”

“This is absolutely intolerable and unacceptable and there will be consequences,” he said.

Baerbock is visiting Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and the trip will focus on security policy as China seeks influence in the Pacific region.

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“The defense cooperation between Germany and Australia is close and we would like to deepen it further and expand it together, because we are in a situation where we face similar threats,” said Baerbock, who is the first German Foreign Minister who visits Australia in 13 years.

Talks between Baerbock and her Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, focused on the conflict in Gaza. “I think we all understand that the only path out of this cycle of violence that we see in the Middle East at such a high cost is one that ultimately ensures a two-state solution,” Wong said.