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Reports on US hacks into Russian computer systems linked to elections — senator

Konstantin Kosachev said the US administration and special services are behind these leaks as they "visualize" the threats of using cyber weapons against Russia

MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. The mass media reports that US hackers have allegedly penetrated Russia’s computer infrastructure are related to next week’s presidential elections, senior Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, NBC News reported citing a senior intelligence official and top-secret documents that US military hackers "have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons."

Kosachev, who heads the foreign affairs committee of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said the US administration and special services are behind these leaks as they "visualize" the threats earlier voiced by Vice-President Joseph Biden of using cyber weapons against Russia.

"I’m sure that the current threats are linked not only to solving the tasks of ensuring the US national security but to the peak of the election campaign," Kosachev said. The reports about Russian hackers are "a desperate attempt to distract the public attention from the content of uncovered dirty facts and focus it on spreading rumors about the Kremlin’s "conspiracy theory" against the White House."

The US side does not give any evidence of Russia’s role in the cyber attacks on the US government websites, he added. "By heading in this direction, the US more explicitly and blatantly encourages state terrorism, in this case in cyber space." The senator advised Russia’s special services to monitor the situation and to be on alert as America "is becoming too unpredictable and dangerous."

The US TV broadcaster NBC reported in mid-October that Washington was considering an unprecedentedly powerful cyber attack against Russia. According to its sources in intelligence agencies, the administration of US President Barack Obama is considering an unprecedented covert action against Russia in the cyber space in response to what US officials claim is Russia’s interference in the US presidential elections.