The German government has removed the official responsible for keeping the country safe from cyberattacks over reports that he kept in touch with a lobbying group that had links to Russian intelligence. The move comes as Russia’s war against Ukraine has increased fears over cybersecurity.

The interior ministry confirmed on Tuesday the dismissal of Arne Schönbohm, who had led the Federal Office for Information Security since 2016. The accusations of possible ties to Russian intelligence, which were reported this month by a German satirical news show, “have permanently damaged the necessary public trust in the neutrality and impartiality” of Schönbohm, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

The dismissal comes after ZDF Magazin Royal reported that Schönbohm had kept contact with a lobbying group he co-founded a decade ago that included at least one Russian cybersecurity company founded by a Russian intelligence agent as a member even after Russia invaded Ukraine. The group cut ties with the Russian company three days after the show aired.

The show did not link Schönbohm directly with Russian intelligence, though the current president of the lobbying group acknowledged such contacts. Schönbohm did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Der Spiegel quoted him as saying that he had asked this week for disciplinary proceedings to clear up the issue.

New York Times News Service