On March 22, the Kremlin responded to a US warning that Russia may be planning a cyberattack on US companies.
“The Russian Federation, unlike many Western countries, including the United States, is not involved in bandits at the state level,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
US President Joe Biden said Monday that the Russian government was “exploring potential cyber attack options” and warned private companies to take action to prevent such attacks.
“The federal government is playing that role in preparation,” Biden told the CEO at a meeting later that day, but the involvement of companies in investing in defense measures should be seen as a “patriotic obligation.” He said.
“For example, US financial data is secure because banks can turn on cybersecurity by default for all their customers,” he said.
Anne Neuberger, White House cybersecurity adviser, said more than 100 private companies have been briefed by federal authorities on sensitive information outlining details of threats from Russia to protect critical infrastructure. ..
Russia has been determined to be the source of several major cyberattacks in the past, including the 2015 attack on Ukraine’s power grid. Russian hackers have also been identified by US authorities as the perpetrators of attacks on Colonial Pipeline, a major US pipeline operator. 2021. The attack lowered the arteries for several weeks and increased the cost of gasoline.
In a speech on February 24, Biden suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin that a Russian cyberattack on the United States would lead to a response when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, but the impact was not disclosed.
Biden visited Europe this week to meet with European leaders and discuss the war between Russia and Ukraine. This is still happening because negotiators have not yet reached a ceasefire or peace treaty.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he wanted a face-to-face meeting with Putin after several low-level negotiations did not produce the desired results. Zelensky said he was ready to discuss the situation in the separatist region with the Russian annexation Crimea in eastern Ukraine.
Putin described the aggression as a special military operation to “demilitarize and denify” Ukraine, while Ukrainian leaders called it not provoking the aggression.
Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that few Russians opposed the operation.
“Most-and this is evidenced by both the statistics and polls we spoke-more than 75 percent of the citizens support the actions of the Russian president and support the operation. This is absolutely denied. It’s a fact you can’t do, “he said. “I see a very lively explanation of the goals and objectives of this operation and the reasons for this operation. I hope those who disagree will understand what is happening.”
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Zachary Stieber covers US and world news. He is based in Maryland.