MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. Nearly 25 million cyber attacks against Russia’s information infrastructure related to the 2018 FIFA World Cup were neutralized during the tournament, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday evening at a meeting with representatives of the International Cooperation Center at the Inter-Departmental Operation Headquarters for security at the FIFA World Cup.

"Nearly 25 million cyber attacks and other criminal influences on Russia’s information infrastructure related to the FIFA World Cup one way or another were foiled during the tournament," he said.

Russia had its first-ever edition of the FIFA World Cup from June 14 to July 15. Eleven host cities, namely Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara, were selected to be the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup.

The national football team of hosts Russia managed to make it to the quarterfinals stage of this world tournament, where Croatia edged them out in a 4-2 penalty shootout on July 7 at the Fisht Arena in Sochi.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy went to France, which defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final match on Sunday.

Security at the World Cup 

Almost 130 representatives of special services from 34 countries were involved in efforts to maintain security during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Putin stressed. 

"I want to thank both employees of the Russian special services and law enforcement agencies and, of course, representatives of the law enforcement agencies from more than 30 countries. I know that a total of 126 representatives from 55 special services and law enforcement agencies from 34 countries were involved in that joint work," the Kremlin press service quotes him as saying.