BERLIN, Germany: A serious alert on the involvement of a Russian military intelligence group in a string of cyberattacks directed towards NATO and EU countries has been released by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV.
The BfV, in collaboration with US intelligence and international partners, has identified GRU Unit 29155—also known as Cadet Blizzard or Ember Bear—as responsible for extensive cyber operations since at least 2020.
These attacks, aimed at espionage, sabotage, and reputational damage, include the WhisperGate malware campaign against Ukrainian entities in January 2022, prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The BfV’s alert follows recent accusations against Moscow for cyberattacks on Germany’s ruling Social Democrats (SPD) and various German companies in critical sectors, including IT, logistics, and aerospace. These breaches involved the theft and publication of sensitive data.
Unit 29155 is also linked to the 2018 poisonings of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK, highlighting the unit’s broader history of hostile actions.
