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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's response to a media question about Russia's alleged preparations for cybersecurity attacks against the United States

7 April 2022 18:44
753-07-04-2022

Question: Based on reports of the increasing frequency of scanning critical facilities in US territory, the Joseph Biden administration accused Russia of preparing a series of cyberattacks against the United States. What can you tell us about this?

Maria Zakharova: We have to state with regret that this is not the first time the US government has tried to blame its own domestic and foreign policy setbacks on some "Russian intrigue." It groundlessly asserts that Moscow "stands to gain" from undermining security in the information space. In the meantime, it refuses to use bilateral legal mechanisms to inquire into such incidents and does not respond to our appeals to do so. The aim of this propaganda rhetoric is clear - to cover up the cyber aggression unleashed against our country by discrediting Russia and its policy on enhancing international information security. The scale of attacks is unprecedented - up to hundreds of thousands per week. Attacks are launched against government offices, companies, critical and social infrastructure facilities, and life-support systems. Millions of people are affected by these evil actions.

We would like to emphasise that we have much more evidence with which to accuse the Western countries of sponsoring cybercriminals, but we are displaying common sense and self-possession. We are ready to discuss specific factual reports on computer system hacking on a mutual basis. We are also prepared to conduct a broader dialogue on renouncing the militarisation of the information space and using it for peaceful purposes. The dual goal is to prevent the turning of the ICT environment into an arena for interstate confrontation and to guarantee the development of this technology for the benefit of progress by all states.

We strongly advise the mass media and analysts to be more demanding in asking the US administration for explanations about the reasons and sources of increased cybersecurity threats for economic activities. Naturally, all the if's and but's cannot be taken at face value, like all the other fabricated arguments that blame Russia for everything.