MOSCOW: Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber attacks during the World Cup, President Vladimir Putin claimed soon after the final Sunday, though he did not indicate who may have been behind the attacks.
“During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralised,” Putin said during a meeting Sunday with security services.
The comments were reported by the Kremlin.
The timing is curious though, coming as it did a day ahead of the summit meeting called at short notice between Putin and US President Donald Trump slated for Monday at Helsinki, Finland.
Putin is accused of ordering an influence operation to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election that allegedly helped Trump win.
