Overview

• The Akademisches Netzwerk Osteuropa (Akno) successfully repelled two cyberattacks, while a partner organization reported three physical break-ins in April 2025.
• A suspected Russia-linked cyberattack on the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde (DGO) in late March 2025 is under investigation by Germany’s BSI and Verfassungsschutz.
• Akno and DGO have been labeled as 'undesirable' and 'extremist' by Russian authorities, prompting protests from Germany's Foreign Office.
• Berlin-based Akno has supported over 1,200 scholars and activists from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine in recent years, making it a key target for Russian intelligence.
• Attribution of these attacks to Russian state actors remains challenging, though suspicions persist based on the nature and timing of the incidents.