Czech Republic summons Russian ambassador after cyber attacks

Czech news agency ČTK reports that the diplomat arrived at the ministry on Monday afternoon.

“We have called on Russia to refrain from such actions that contradict the UN norms and its own obligations,” Foreign Minister Jans Lipavskis announced after the meeting with the ambassador.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the Czech liberal-conservative government has officially recalled its ambassador to Russia, Vitezslav Pivonka. The decision will take effect at the end of May. The media reports that the diplomat has not been in Moscow for several months. His successor has not yet been appointed. The embassy will be temporarily headed by the secretary of the embassy, ​​according to media reports.

The Czech Republic accuses APT28, a hacking group of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, of organizing numerous cyber attacks.

Since last year, a security vulnerability has been used to gain access to email accounts, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

Other activities involving Internet routers were discovered some time ago in cooperation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

After a meeting with his German counterpart Nancy Feser on Friday, Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakušan stressed that they want to send a clear signal to Russia that “we are not helpless victims, we are countries that know how to protect themselves.”

The public never learns about most cybercrimes because they are prevented in their inception, he added.