Russia labeled two German research organizations as extremist and undesirable in 2024-25, threatening collaborators with imprisonment and financial sanctions, while conducting hacker attacks and intimidation against scientists specializing in Eastern European studies.

In a hybrid warfare effort expanding into the scientific realm, Russia has targeted German institutions focused on Eastern Europe. In July 2024, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde (DGO), a 100-year-old network of about 1,000 researchers, was controversially designated extremist by the Russian Supreme Court, exposing collaborators to up to 12 years in prison and asset freezes. In March 2025, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) was declared 'undesirable,' joining over 200 other banned organizations. German researchers face travel restrictions due to fears of extradition or secret intelligence cooperation by Russia. The DGO has suffered multiple cyberattacks attributed to Moscow-linked actors. German officials, including security agencies and the Foreign Office, condemn these actions as part of Russia's systematized hybrid war tactics to intimidate and isolate critical voices. Despite diplomatic protests, Moscow maintains that these groups undermine Russian internal politics. This campaign severely disrupts scientific cooperation and threatens German scholars’ safety.