MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Western countries are striving to preserve the use of cybercrime as a tool of hybrid warfare against Russia, which was manifested during the discussion of the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime (CAC), Yelena Zinovieva, professor at MGIMO University, said.
"During the discussion, the Western countries reduced the number of crimes proposed in the draft document developed by Russia and submitted to the UN Special Committee in 2019 significantly. This shows the significant politicization of this issue and the desire of the West to preserve a free hand in the use of CAC crime as a tool of hybrid warfare," she told TASS.
Zinovieva stressed that Moscow had initiated the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime.
"Russia is an intellectual leader in international information security cooperation. And the adoption of the document again underlines the relevance of our proposed approach based on respect for state sovereignty, equality of states and the need for peaceful and fair development of the information sphere," she added.
The adoption of the convention marks a new stage in the negotiation process. "In the future, the scope of the agreements may be expanded by adopting additional protocols with new types of crimes," Zinovieva explained.
On October 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the government's proposal and ordered the signing of the UN Convention Against Cybercrime, adopted at the General Assembly of the world organization last year.
In December 2024, the UN General Assembly approved the Convention Against Cybercrime, developed at the initiative of Russia. The convention aims to strengthen international cooperation in combating cybercrime, including hacking, fraud, money laundering and child exploitation. It also reinforces the digital sovereignty of states.