Internet Disruption in German Bundestag During Zelensky Visit Impacts Connectivity with Brussels

The German Bundestag experienced a significant internet outage coinciding with the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin. The disruption, which occurred on Monday, rendered email communications within the parliamentary network temporarily impossible. Technical teams are actively investigating the root cause, though at this stage, no definitive link has been established between the outage and the high-profile diplomatic visit.

According to Bundestag officials, the issue affected both internal and external digital communications. Information technology experts, in collaboration with the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), initiated diagnostic and recovery procedures. As part of the response, the affected IT systems were systematically powered down and subsequently restarted later in the afternoon, in an effort to restore normal operations across the parliamentary network.

The timing of the outage raised concerns due to its overlap with critical international discussions. A scheduled video conference connecting EU foreign ministers in Brussels with American envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner--present in Berlin for Ukraine-related diplomatic talks--was disrupted and could not proceed as planned due to ongoing connectivity problems. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas commented from Brussels that it was unclear whether the disruption resulted from a cyberattack, but confirmed technical failures prevented the meeting from taking place.

The aborted conference was intended to review progress on the US-brokered peace initiative for the Gaza Strip, a process in which Witkoff and Kushner have played key roles. Both envoys are also engaged in efforts on behalf of US President Donald Trump to advance a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Despite the technical setbacks, other virtual meetings, including one involving the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha from Berlin, reportedly proceeded without incident, according to diplomatic sources.

This recent disruption has revived memories of past cybersecurity incidents targeting the Bundestag. Notably, in May 2015, the German parliament became the target of a major cyberattack, resulting in the infiltration of spyware into numerous offices, including that of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. The aftermath of that breach necessitated a comprehensive overhaul of the parliamentary IT infrastructure. Subsequent investigations attributed the attack to Russian actors, prompting official condemnation from German authorities.

In light of the current incident, security agencies remain vigilant, though no evidence has yet been presented to suggest malicious intent or external interference. The situation continues to be monitored as technical teams work to ensure the integrity and resilience of the Bundestag's digital systems.