Russia is taking all measures to ensure information
security in order to deal with the threats voiced in the country's
address at the official level by other states, the press secretary
of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, said.
The lack of the US authorities’ official response to mass media
reports about cyber attacks against Russia means that there is
‘state cyber terrorism’ in the United States, Russian Foreign
Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on
Saturday.
"In connection with the mass media reports that US military
hackers have penetrated Russia’s telecommunications networks and
electric grid and also ‘the Kremlin’s command systems’ we expect
the reaction of the US authorities, including the White House and
the Department of State, with the legal assessment of this
information," Zakharova stressed.
"The lack of an official reaction on the part of the American
administration will mean that the state cyber terrorism exists in
the US. In case the threats broadcast by US mass media are put into
effect Moscow will have the full right to bring accusations against
Washington," the diplomat said.
Earlier in the day, NBC News reported citing a senior
intelligence official and top-secret documents that US military
hackers "have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications
networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable
to attack by secret American cyber weapons."
The US representatives have repeatedly claimed that hackers
working for the Russian government allegedly attack information
systems of US bodies or campaign headquarters of presidential
candidates and vowed to respond symmetrically. Moscow says these
are unfounded accusations that are not worthy of notice.
Meanwhile, a member of the State Duma of the International
Affairs Committee, Sergei Zheleznyak, said that the reports of the
cyber attacks from the US are irresponsible and dangerous
provocation. Thus, Zhelezniak lamented that the international
security and relationship between Russia and the US "have become
hostages of the dirty political games of the current US
government."
‘’For any expert it is clear that the anti-Russian rhetoric of
the US government is trying to divert the public debate from a
discussion of the failures and accumulated problems," he
stressed.