Georgia blames Russia for 'paralyzing' cyberattack
Britain and the United States joined Georgia on Thursday in blaming Russia for a large-scale cyberattack last year that knocked thousands of Georgian websites offline and disrupted national television broadcasts, The Moscow Times reports.
The source reminds that state, private and media websites were taken out by the attack on Oct. 28, including those belonging to the Georgian president's office and two private television stations.
Georgia's foreign ministry said the cyberattack, which defaced websites to display an image of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, was planned and carried out by the Russian military.
The attack "was intended to harm Georgian citizens and government structures by disrupting and paralyzing the functionality of various organizations, thereby causing anxiety among the general public," said foreign ministry spokesman Vladimer Konstantinidi.
In supporting statements, Britain and the United States attributed the attack specifically to a unit of Russia's military intelligence service, commonly known as the GRU. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday's announcement, the source added.