NATO Setting Up Network of Labs to Encircle Russia in Cyber Warfare: Moscow Claims
Russian Diplomat Alleges Labs Established in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Romania
U.S.-Led Bloc Conducting "Electronic Sabotage" in Ukraine: Lyukmanov
Pentagon "Testing" Cyber Attacks, Plans Labs in Georgia and Moldova Too
Russian President Putin Calls for State-Run Data Security System
Moscow: Artur Lyukmanov, the Special Representative of the Russian President for International Cooperation in Information Security, has accused NATO of trying to encircle Russia. He claimed a network of cyber labs is being set up near Russia's borders, including in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Romania.
Lyukmanov says this is part of NATO's "hybrid warfare" aimed at weakening Russia in the information sphere. He alleged Ukraine has been the "main testing ground" for this strategy, with hackers there carrying out acts of "electronic sabotage under close guidance of NATO curators."
He further claimed "entire units of Western intelligence services and armed forces are being sent to Kyiv" to assist Ukrainian hackers.
Lyukmanov said NATO also plans to open similar labs in Georgia and Moldova, which are not members of the alliance.
He mentioned "cyber exercises" regularly conducted under the Pentagon's auspices, where scenarios of "confrontation with [Russia] in the digital sphere" are tested.
Earlier this month, the US Cyber Command held the Cyber Flag 2024 exercise at a base in Suffolk, Virginia. The exercise involved American cyber operators and their counterparts from 18 NATO member and partner countries, training to detect cyber threats and identify solutions for network security.
Russia has not yet commented on these accusations.
Russian President Putin Calls for State-Run Data Security System
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said a state-run data security system should be established due to the increasing number of cyber attacks on the country since the Ukrainian conflict began.
"Today we can already say that the cyber aggression against us... has failed," Putin stated. "Overall, we were prepared for this attack, and this is the result of systematic work carried out in the field in recent years."
It's important to note these accusations are yet to be verified, and Russia has denied these claims.