World News
Germany’s Intelligence Agency Says Russia Trying to Destabilize German Society
The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, or BfV has seen an increase in “aggressive cyber-espionage” targeting German politicians.
.
.
BERLIN – Germany’s federal intelligence agency says Russia is trying to destabilize German society and the state with propaganda campaigns and cyberattacks.
The blunt warning from Germany’s BFV agency comes less than a year before the country is expected to hold a general election.
Agency chief Hans-Georg Maassen said in a statement Thursday that “there is growing evidence for attempts to influence the federal election next year.”
His agency has seen an increase in “aggressive cyber-espionage” targeting German politicians.
Russia has been blamed for the hacking and release of Democratic National Committee emails before the U.S. presidential election.
Maassen says “automated opinion forming” with so-called bots could be used to spread fake news on social media.
Russia has in previously strongly denied its involvement in orchestrating cyberattacks on foreign soil.
The Associated Press
