Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that she had "evidence" of "scandalous" Russian hacking attempts that allegedly targeted her at the German Chancellery. "I can honestly say it hurts. Every day I try to have better relations with Russia and, on the other hand, there is such tangible evidence that the Russian forces are doing this, "said the Chancellor before the members of the Bundestag.
It referred to a cyber attack that targeted in 2015 both the Chamber of Deputies and its services. The Bundestag was then the victim in 2015 of a cyber attack, attributed to the GRU, Russian military intelligence. The hackers had obtained in parallel to this cyber attack, according to German media, personal data on a message from the chancellor. Merkel said a suspect was identified by the investigators in the case.
Several diplomatic affairs tense between the two countries
"We always reserve the right to take action, including against Russia," threatened the chancellor, who spoke of an "outrageous" act. "It is a whole strategy that is being applied" by Russia, including the "distortion of the facts", continued Angela Merkel. In this context, "of course it is not easy" to continue to try to build a better relationship with Moscow, she added.
The chancellor also mentioned the murder in Berlin in 2019 of a Georgian of Chechen origin with which are involved, ensure several investigative media, the Russian services. The case sparked a diplomatic crisis between Germany and Russia: two members of the Russian Embassy, whom the German government accused of not "cooperating" in the investigation, had to leave German territory on December 4, 2019. The alleged killer was arrested just after the murder, but warned Merkel, "we are still trying to find" possible accomplices.
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- World
- Cyber attack
- Russia
- Germany
- Spying
- Angela Merkel