The Russian Embassy in Germany. EPA Yonhap News

The German government claimed on the 12th (local time) that Russia interfered in the election by spreading fake news during the German federal parliamentary general election in February.

The German Foreign Ministry designated the dissemination of false information during the general election and a cyberattack targeting aviation control authorities last August as Russian acts and summoned Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev to the ministry to lodge a protest.

The Foreign Ministry identified the Russian military's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) as being behind the operation. It stated, "Russia has not only interfered in the last general election but has also continuously attempted to influence and destabilize German domestic affairs. We will take a series of countermeasures with European partners to demonstrate the cost of hybrid activities."

According to the weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Russian intelligence agencies orchestrated hybrid operations, including spreading fake news to slander Western politicians through a disinformation organization called 'Storm 1516'.

In one video spread during the German general election period, a person claiming to be a doctor appeared and presented fake medical records, alleging that Friedrich Merz, the then CDU/CSU Union candidate for chancellor, had received treatment for severe mental health issues years ago.

False propaganda was spread alleging that Green Party candidate for chancellor Robert Habeck was involved in a corruption case amounting to 100 million euros with Ukrainian politicians.

Days before the vote, multiple videos were uploaded online claiming that postal votes had been manipulated with unmarked ballots, a claim made by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The far-right AfD is pro-Russian, contrary to most parties that actively support Ukraine.

German intelligence agencies had previously determined that Russian IT companies, which were placed on Western sanctions lists last year, created so-called "doppelgänger" websites that mimicked the homepages of major German media outlets, publishing fake news criticizing support for Ukraine.