Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has warned that Russian military intelligence has been behind a series of cyber-attacks on Nato and EU countries.
The Bundesverfassungsschutz (BfV) said the attacks were carried out by Russian military intelligence’s (GRU) Unit 29155, which has been linked to the poisonings of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.
The warning comes amid increased fears in Europe of suspected Russian hackers and spies since Russia’s war on Ukraine began two years ago.
The BfV said in a social media post on Monday that the attacks involved espionage, sabotage, defacing websites and publishing stolen data.
In its advisory, the agency said targets included critical infrastructure as well as government agencies and companies in the financial, transport, energy and health sectors.
BfV said the primary intention of this group appeared to be to look for and disrupt aid deliveries to Ukraine.
It also warned that unit – also known as Cadet Blizzard or Ember Bear – was behind a series of cyber-attacks on Ukraine in 2022.
It added it was issuing the warning alongside the FBI, the US cybersecurity agency (CISA) and other international partners.
In May, Berlin accused Russia of launching a series of cyber-attacks on its defence and aerospace firms, as well as on the governing Social Democrats.
