Germany has temporarily recalled its ambassador to Moscow after members of the ruling party were targeted in what Berlin said was a state-sponsored Russian cyberattack.

The German ambassador to Russia was recalled for consultations on Monday after Berlin accused Moscow of carrying out cyberattacks.

Targets of the campaign included members of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats.

What does the recall mean?

In line with protocol, a spokesperson said, Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff is to return to Berlin on a temporary basis.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Lambsdorff had “been called back for consultations and will stay in Berlin for a week and then return to Moscow.”

The spokesperson said the decision had come from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

The German government takes the cyberattack “very seriously,” considering it an action “against our liberal democracy,” the spokesperson said.