In a May 3, 2024 statement, the German Interior Ministry attributed a December 2022 cyberattack targeting the governing SPD party, including Chancellor Scholz, as well as the German defense and technology sector, to APT28, a hacking unit also known as Fancy Bear directed by Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU). According to a German investigation, the attack was “unambiguously” traced to the hacking group. Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s Outlook to gain access to targets’ emails. That same day, the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement indicating that “some Czech institutions” had been targeted via the same vulnerability. Germany’s Foreign Minister announced EU-coordinated sanctions against individuals in connection to Fancy Bear.