BERLIN (AP) — Germany said Monday it recalled its ambassador to Russia for a week of consultations in Berlin following an alleged hacker attack on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.
Germany last week accused Russian military agents of hacking into the top echelons of Scholz's Social Democrats’ party and other sensitive government and industrial targets. Berlin joined NATO and fellow European countries in warning that Russia’s cyberespionage would have consequences.
The Foreign Office in Berlin said Monday that the government is taking the latest incident “seriously” and that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had decided to call back German Ambassador Alexander Lambsdorff. He would return to Moscow after a week, it said.
“The German government takes this event very seriously as behavior against our liberal democracy and the institutions that support it," Foreign Office spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said.
Baerbock said last week that Russian military cyber operators were behind the hacking of emails of the Social Democrats, the leading party in the governing coalition. Officials said the hackers had exploited Microsoft Outlook.
The German Interior Ministry said in a statement last week that the hacking campaign began as early as March 2022, a month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with emails at the Social Democrat party headquarters accessed beginning that December. It said German companies, including in the defense and aerospace sectors, as well as targets related to the war in Ukraine were the focus of the hacking attacks.
The statement said international efforts led by the FBI shut down in late January a botnet of compromised network devices used by the Russian hackers — known as APT28 or Fancy Bear. The group has a history of malicious and destabilizing behavior, according to the U.S. State Department.
German officials said the attacks persisted for months.
Relations between Russia and the West have been tense since Moscow's attack on Ukraine. The U.S., Germany and many other European countries have been providing military support to Ukraine in the ongoing war.
In Copenhagen, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that “some Europeans still think that the war is only taking place in Ukraine, but right now we are seeing more and more aggressiveness from Russia.”
“We will probably see hybrid attacks in different areas. It can be critical infrastructure,” he added after a meeting with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen. “What Russia is doing and planning is not acceptable. Russia is ready to use any means possible to harm our societies.”
In Prague, the Czech Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador over the attacks by the same APT28 group linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence unit.
“I have decided to summon the Russian ambassador because of the cyber attacks against Czech institutions and critical infrastructure,” Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on X, the social media network. “We have called on the Russian Federation to refrain from this behavior, which is contrary to UN standards and its own obligations.”
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Jan Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark and Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic contributed.
FILE - Then European Union Election Observation Mission to Myanmar chief Alexander Graf Lambsdorff speaks during a press briefing in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. The German foreign office says that Germany has called back its ambassador to Russia for a week of consultations, following an alleged hacker attack on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party. The ministry said Monday, May 6, 2024 that the government is taking the incident “serious.” (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Walker Buehler pitched six sharp innings with seven strikeouts in his third start since returning from Tommy John surgery, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.
Buehler (1-1) yielded three hits and no walks in a dominant performance to earn his first major league victory since May 24, 2022. After looking somewhat shaky and wild in his first two starts back from his second Tommy John procedure, the two-time All-Star controlled his breaking pitches against Cincinnati and rediscovered the form he has usually shown when healthy during his first six seasons with the Dodgers.
Buehler said he changed his position on the rubber since his last start, and “a lot of things clicked into place.”
“It was finally fun again,” Buehler said with a smile. “No, it’s just good to put one together. ... The (velocity) wasn't as good as it has been, not that that was intentional, but I think I was really trying to command it, and that's what happens. I think there's enough velo in there to still be pretty good. Just felt like it finally worked."
Buehler and his three relievers combined on a three-hitter, with the bullpen pitching three perfect innings.
“He's confident by nature, but I still think that when you go out there and do it, that solidifies the confidence, especially coming back from Tommy John,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Freddie Freeman had two hits and drove in a run for the Dodgers, who have won 18 of 24 games to surge 7 1/2 games ahead of San Diego atop the NL West. Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages also had run-scoring hits for Los Angeles.
“A healthy Walker Buehler, that's huge for us,” Freeman said. “You can't say enough about him. I feel for someone who's gone through injuries like that. It's been a long road back for him. Whatever happens down the road, so be it.”
Graham Ashcraft (3-3) yielded three hits, three walks and three runs over five innings for the Reds, who have lost two straight and 14 of 17. Cincinnati was shut out for the fourth time this season.
“They put some good swings on the ball, (but) there was only one hard-hit ball throughout the game,” Ashcraft said. “Of course, the walks killed me.”
The Reds lost despite handling Shohei Ohtani, who went 0 for 4 for only the fifth time since joining the Dodgers. Mookie Betts also got his first rest day of the season for the Dodgers, who moved Ohtani to the leadoff spot.
Ashcraft held the Dodgers hitless for the first three innings, but he walked Freeman and Hernández in the fourth before Pages delivered an RBI single. Hernández then scored on Gavin Lux's groundout.
“You give them credit," Cincinnati manager David Bell said. "The hits (Los Angeles) ended up getting were maybe not hit real hard, but at the same time, they put themselves in position to score by getting on base, grinding out at-bats and making it tough on Graham.”
Jake Fraley was gifted a one-out triple in the fifth when Dodgers left fielder Miguel Vargas inexplicably cut in front of Pages, causing both outfielders to miss a catchable ball. Buehler calmly got two more outs.
“That's kind of the stuff I play for, what we all talk about,” Buehler said. “You get to the game, and kind of going pedestrian and well, and then you get into a spot like that, and it ... gets you back going. For me, every time I can do that and be successful is such a huge thing, being out as long as I was.”
Miguel Rojas doubled and scored on Freeman's single in the fifth. Freeman then doubled and scored on Hernández's single in the eighth.
Reds outfielder Jacob Hurtubise got his first major league hit with a single in the third inning. The 26-year-old U.S. Military Academy graduate was called up Monday, becoming the first major leaguer to use a new exemption policy allowing West Point grads to defer their military service while playing professional sports.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw threw off the mound before the game in his latest step in his return from offseason shoulder surgery. He isn't expected to begin his 17th season with Los Angeles until July or August. ... RHP Bobby Miller (right shoulder) also threw a bullpen session. He hasn't pitched in a game since April 13.
UP NEXT
Los Angeles native Hunter Greene (2-2, 3.27 ERA) will make the second Dodger Stadium start of his career for Cincinnati. The Dodgers haven't announced their starter.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith catches a foul ball hit by Cincinnati Reds' Jeimer Candelario during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a pitch during the first inning a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Cincinnati Reds left fielder Jacob Hurtubise (26) takes the field during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler shows during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
