During an interview with NBC News, Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged the claims that Russia is behind the recent cyberattacks against the United States.
He said that these allegations against his government are “farcical” and that America does not have any proof to support such claims.
The Russian president clarifying his government's stand on the alleged cyberattack said that it was "unfounded accusations" without "evidence or proof"https://t.co/9I7loLfGBx
— WION (@WIONews) June 14, 2021
Putin said allegations are “becoming farcical”
In an interview with the Russian President, his statements stopped making a full denial of cyberattack allegations. However, he insisted that the U.S. was not able to prove anything.
Putin said, “it’s becoming farcical.” He added that his government had been accused of all kinds of things. This includes election interference, cyberattacks, and more. However, not once did the U.S. government bother to produce any type of proof. Putin said that they just created unfounded accusations.
In the interview with NBC, Putin was asked why he is not taking a more firm position against hackers who attack the United States and harms diplomatic endeavors.
The Russian president responded and said the simplest thing to do is sit down calmly and agree on collaborative work in cyberspace. However, he claimed that the United States refused to make this happen.
Robert Muller, former special counsel, included detailed allegations, saying that the Russian-backed Internet Research Agency utilized fake identities to make disinformation campaigns on social media.
Outlining the large-scale effort of Russian interference
It can be noted that last 2019, the Senate Intelligence Committee produced an 85-page report.
The report outlines the large-scale effort of Russia to interfere in the presidential election last 2016. The group of bipartisan legislators called the social media activities a part of a “broader, sophisticated warfare campaign.” According to them, the activities are meant to sow division in American politics and society.
In 2020, months before the elections, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that Russia had been “very active” in its election interference activities. Then before the 2020 election, a report by cybersecurity firm Digital Shadows claimed that China, Iran, and Russia all pose threats to the election.
The report cited Russia for “hack and leak” operations and working with organized crime groups.
Russian Hacker Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Prison for Hacking Into Three Bay Area Tech Companies: Yevgeniy Alexandrovich Nikulin was sentenced for hacking into LinkedIn, Dropbox, and the now-defunct social networking company formerly known as Forms… https://t.co/m11yMXCtOR
— FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) October 2, 2020
Previously, Yevgeniy Alexandrovich Nikulin, a Russian hacker, got a sentence of 88 months in prison. Nikulin broke into Dropbox, LinkedIn, and Formspring. However, he was convicted as a solo actor and not a part of a group operated by the Russian government.
Top U.S. national security agencies also released a joint statement in January stating that months-long cyberattacks on SolarWinds more likely originated in Russia.
The relationship between the Russian government and the United States is at its worst in decades. This is also badly affected by the series of cyberattacks that were traced to Russia, as well as a string of old grievances.
Included among them are the accusations that Russia meddled with the 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections.
