German support for Ukraine: Federal government keeps parts of the aid for Kyiv secret
Created: 04/07/2022 09:03
By: Markus Hofstetter
The federal government is providing Ukraine with logistical, weapons-related and humanitarian support.
But when it comes to helping against cyber attacks, people are more than covered.
Berlin - Germany supports the attacked country in the Ukraine war with arms deliveries and logistics.
In addition, humanitarian aid is provided, including by treating wounded Ukrainians in German hospitals.
What is less well known is that Germany is also helping Ukraine to defend against Russian cyber attacks.
"This is also a war on the Internet and that is why Ukraine must also be defended on the Internet," said Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 ministers on May 10 in Düsseldorf.
Hardware and know-how should be made available for this purpose.
Federal government keeps parts of Ukraine support secret: Deposit of documents in secret protection agencies also rejected
However, the federal government is keeping secret exactly what German support in the cyber war looks like.
Der
Spiegel
reports that MP Reinhard Brandl (CSU) wanted to know which cyber defense systems had been delivered.
However, Wissing refused any information about it.
Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, explains that the disclosure could have “significant adverse effects on cooperation with foreign intelligence services” in the rejection of Brandl.
She even refused to deposit details in the secret protection agency of the Bundestag.
Federal government keeps parts of the Ukraine support secret: Disclosure should allow conclusions to be drawn about one's own IT skills
That's unusual.
Because in the secret protection agency, secret classified information is kept, which can be viewed by parliamentarians under certain conditions.
For example, no handwritten notes may be made.
The federal government had also kept the documents on the arms deliveries to Ukraine in these premises before the list was made public.
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But this secrecy seems to be of great importance.
The details of the IT help must remain secret, otherwise Russia can adapt to the Ukrainian cyber defense and realign new attacks accordingly, according to
Spiegel
from security circles.
The letter to MP Brandl also argues that the publication of details about the IT help allows conclusions to be drawn about the "orientation and technical capabilities of foreign partner services".
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Ukraine conflict: Kyiv was a victim of cyber attacks even before the war began
The importance of helping against cyber attacks was already evident before the fighting began.
Even before the start of the war on February 24, cyber attacks on Ukraine were repeatedly attributed to Russia.
Banks and some Ukrainian government websites were attacked virtually.
Cyber attacks from Russia are also feared in Germany.
At the beginning of March, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) was already anticipating a cyber attack on "high-value targets" in Germany.