Russian officials have released new information that it appears Russia may have been responsible for a cyberattack on the Ukraine’s government, which is being blamed on pro-Russian separatists.
Key points:The U.S. and European Union have called for sanctions against Russia for cyberattacksThe U!
S.
is preparing sanctions against Russian officialsThe Kremlin has denied the claimThe White House is pushing for a full investigationThe U, the EU and the United Nations have called on Russia to end its “hostile behavior” against Ukraine and to stop the attacks on its political institutions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s office released the information, which was provided by the country’s Defense Ministry, in response to an open letter from the heads of European Union and the U.N. security council.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement Thursday that Russia is “ready to investigate and prosecute the responsible persons responsible for the cyberattack.”
Russia’s Defense ministry said in an emailed statement Thursday: “The Defense Ministry has fully verified the information provided by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
In the process of this verification, it has been proven that Russia was the source of the cyberattacks.”
The Defense ministry also said that the Ukrainian government has been notified of the Russian actions and is taking measures to “protect national security.”
The Kremlin on Thursday denied the claims of Russian involvement.
It’s an anti-Ukrainian, anti-democratic, anti.
We will never be silent.
We will never forget, Putin said on Twitter.
The White Senate said Thursday that it is also planning sanctions against the Russian government, with a U.K. official telling CNN that the U!s new sanctions have been discussed with the European Union.
A State Department official said Thursday it was “working to determine if there are additional measures that could be taken against Russian entities or individuals.”
The U!.
S. has also called for a probe into the attack, which the White House says has resulted in the disruption of Ukraine’s power grid and other critical infrastructure.
The U., European Union, the United States and Canada are also holding their first ever summit of NATO allies in Brussels later this month.
The latest attack is likely to further isolate the Ukraine.
The European Union said Thursday the country will not hold a referendum on joining NATO until after the Ukrainian elections on Feb. 20.
A Ukrainian lawmaker called the vote a sham and said that Kiev would not be able to meet NATO commitments to hold the vote without Moscow’s help.
Russia, the country most of its ties to the West revolve around Ukraine, has accused NATO of backing separatists in the country, including the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, which have declared independence from Kiev.
The Ukrainian military said Thursday there was a cyber attack on Ukraine’s national power grid on Wednesday, disrupting the power supply to more than 60 million people in the east.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said on Thursday the attack occurred on the Ukrainian military’s computer network, which included its computers, databases and data storage.
The ministry said it would not speculate on the source.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian army told The Associated Press that “the military’s computers were hacked, including computers and databases.”
The government has also said the attacks are connected to the Ukrainian armed forces, which were not immediately available for comment.
Ukraine has said it was targeted by Russian hackers and that they are seeking to disrupt Ukraine’s economy and stability.