In the run-up to the Bundestag elections on February 23, German intelligence services warned of a serious threat of interference from Russia. According to analytical reports, Russian authorities allocate up to two billion euros annually for disinformation campaigns, reported Bild.
These funds are used to create hundreds of thousands of fake accounts, fake news sites, and spread false messages aimed at discrediting German politicians and supporting pro-Kremlin parties. However, as the publication notes, intelligence services face limitations. They do not have the authority to block fake accounts or sites.
The report from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) notes that attempts to hack websites and servers containing voter data are already being recorded. «Russia uses the full arsenal of means — from interfering in political debates to cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and acts of sabotage», — emphasized former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Thomas Haldenwang.
Deputy head of the CDU/CSU faction Andrea Lindholz called on the government to discuss countermeasures at the next meeting of the internal affairs committee. «We need to know whether cyberattacks or sabotage threaten the constitutional order of the elections», — said Lindholz, pointing to recent cases of election annulments in Romania due to disinformation from Russia.
In early December, the Constitutional Court of Romania decided to annul the results of the first round of presidential elections. This happened after the country's National Security Council presented secret materials showing a large-scale Russian campaign in support of the far-right presidential candidate Călin Georgescu.