German FM summons Russian envoy to discuss sanctions over 2015 cyberattack

German State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Miguel Berger on May 28 invited the Russian ambassador Sergey J. Nechajev over talks regarding the possible sanctions against those responsible for the attack on the German parliament, also known as Bundestag. Germany has accused Moscow of carrying out the attack on German parliament in 2015 to reportedly spy on lawmakers and leading politicians. 

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"The Russian Ambassador was informed, with reference to the arrest warrant issued by the Federal Public Prosecutor General on 5 May 2020 against Russian national Dmitri Badin, that the Federal Government will call in Brussels for the EU’s cyber sanctions regime to be invoked with respect to those responsible for the attack on the German Bundestag, including Mr Badin," German foreign ministry said in a release on its website. 

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Germany's accusation

Germany says that there is credible evidence to prove that Badin was a member of the GRU military intelligence service at the time of the attack. GRU is the foreign military-intelligence agency of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Germany said that the arrest warrant was issued on the basis of the strong suspicion that the accused conspired with other hitherto anonymous persons to carry out intelligence activities against the Federal Republic of Germany on behalf of the secret service of a foreign power. 

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"The accused is strongly suspected of being responsible as a member of APT28 group for the hacker attack on the German Bundestag in April/May 2015. There is credible evidence that he was a member of the GRU military intelligence service at the time of the attack," the release added. 

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(with inputs from agencies)