Georgian authorities on Thursday accused Russia’s military intelligence of launching a large-scale cyberattack that targeted the government and private organizations with the goal of destabilizing the ex-Soviet nation.
The United States and Britain also weighed in, strongly condemning the alleged action by Russia in October. A senior Russian diplomat dismissed the accusations.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said the Oct. 28 cyberattack was “targeted at Georgia’s national security and intended to harm Georgian citizens and government structures by disrupting and paralyzing the functionality of various organizations, causing anxiety among the general public.”
The attack was designed to hinder Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union and NATO, and “goes against international norms and principles,” the Foreign Ministry alleged.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Russia’s GRU military intelligence for the attack. Pompeo said in a statement that the operation “directly affected the Georgian population, disrupted operations of several thousand Georgian government and privately run websites, and interrupted the broadcast of at least two major television stations.”
Pompeo described it as part of a “continuing pattern of reckless Russian GRU cyber-operations against a number of countries.”
“These operations aim to sow division, create insecurity, and undermine democratic institutions,” he added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations as “unfounded and politically driven.”
“There isn’t and there can’t be any evidence of the involvement of Russian official structures in any malicious cyber-activities in Georgia,” the ministry said.
It added that the accusations reflect Georgia’s efforts at “demonization” of Russia and would further cloud ties.
A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Carla Gleason ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
