Merkel says 'hard evidence' of Russian role in hack of German parliament in 2015
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement, calling accusations groundless
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday there is "hard evidence" of Russian involvement in a cyberattack on the German parliament in 2015 that reportedly also involved the theft of documents from her own parliamentary office.
German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported last week that federal prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant against an alleged officer with Russia's GRU military intelligence agency identified as Dmitriy Badin, who was already being sought by U.S. authorities.
On Friday, news magazine Der Spiegel reported that correspondence from Merkel's parliamentary office was among the documents targeted in the 2015 hack.
Prosecutors haven't confirmed those reports, but Merkel was asked about the theft of data from her office in a question-and-answer session with lawmakers in parliament Wednesday. She replied: "I get the impression that they picked up relatively indiscriminately what they could get."
"I am very glad that the investigations have now led to the federal prosecutor putting a concrete person on the wanted list," Merkel said, without elaborating. "I take these things very seriously."
She also described how it has affected her relationship with Russia.
"I can say honestly that this pains me: on the one hand, I work every day for a better relationship with Russia, and when you see on the other hand that there is such hard evidence that Russian forces are involved in acting this way, this is an area of tension," she said.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied any involvement by Moscow in the 2015 cyberattack on the German parliament, calling the German accusations groundless. They have similarly dismissed charges of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and alleged cyberattacks on other Western nations and institutions.
Merkel said the German investigation doesn't change her assessment of Russia's tactics, pointing to a strategy of "hybrid warfare, which includes warfare in connection with cyber, disorientation and factual distortion."
She said there is every reason to keep up efforts for a good relationship with Russia, "but this naturally doesn't make it easier."
She described such actions as "outrageous," and said, "Of course, we always reserve the right to take measures, including against Russia."