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Lithuania’s defense minister blames hack into Foreign Ministry’s system on Russia

According to Arvydas Anusauskas, the Foreign Ministry’s electronic system had been hacked into back last November, but the incident came to light just recently

VILNIUS, August 12. /TASS/. Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas has claimed that hackers allegedly connected with Russia might have hacked into the database of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry.

"Groups of hackers operating in our region are actively involved in this and, as a rule, they are linked with Russian special services," the BNS news agency quotes Anusauskas as saying.

He added that according to his sources the Foreign Ministry’s electronic system had been hacked into back last November, but the incident came to light just recently.

"Another attack occurred on Wednesday, but it was unsuccessful," Anusauskas said.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said that the theft of documents by hackers was an attack from outside.

"We regard it as an attack by unfriendly countries," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the Lithuanian news portal Delfi, on the Internet there have appeared offers of selling confidential Lithuanian Foreign Ministry documents - about 1.677 million email messages containing details of negotiations on crucial international policy issues, including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. According to the portal, the documents concerned Lithuania’s policies towards Russia, Belarus and Georgia. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda told the portal that "there are certain signs showing that certain information leaked, and that information is deemed classified." He remarked that the leaked information "might cause serious damage, first of all, for allies."

The Western countries have repeatedly alleged that Russia was behind various cyberattacks, including those on US government offices and companies. Russia systematically dismissed these charges. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said that Moscow was not involved in such hacker attacks. He said "any accusations about Russia’s complicity were absolutely groundless and a manifestation of blind Russophobia that is resorted to in at any opportunity."

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