Germany recalls ambassador to Russia citing cyberattacks
Al Jazeera
Berlin’s recall of envoy extends diplomatic tension on eve of Putin’s inauguration.
Germany has recalled its ambassador to Russia in protest against a series of cyberattacks.
Berlin recalled Alexander Graf Lambsdorff on Monday, three days after accusing Moscow of cyberattacks on the governing Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the country’s defence, aerospace, and IT companies. The envoy’s return was ordered just a day before the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ambassador “has been called back for consultations and will stay in Berlin for a week and then return to Moscow”, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Office told reporters.
Germany will not be represented at Putin’s inauguration for his next six-year term in office, which was sealed by an overwhelming victory at elections in March, on Tuesday, the spokesperson noted.
Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador on Friday in protest over a campaign that it says was launched two years ago by a group linked to Moscow’s GRU military intelligence agency.
