Russia Slams Biden’s Cyberattack Charge: ‘We Don’t Engage In State-Level Banditry Like The US’

The Kremlin on Tuesday condemned the latest accusations out of Washington that it’s planning major cyber attacks against the West as retaliation for US and EU sanctions, saying it doesn’t engage in “banditry” on the state level like “many Western countries” and the US.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to the Monday statements of President Biden, “unlike many Western countries, including the United States, Russia does not engage in state-level banditry.”

President Biden had said he has seen “evolving intelligence” that points to possible Russian government preparations for cyberattacks against the United States. The president was mainly addressing tech and internet companies in the US, urging the private sector to “immediately” harden “cyber defenses.” 

He told them now is “a critical moment to accelerate our work to improve domestic cybersecurity and bolster our national resilience.” He warned US businesses that they must harden their defenses against such threats.

“Today, my Administration is reiterating those warnings based on evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks,” Biden said in the Monday address.

The steps included strengthening US infrastructure with “extensive cybersecurity measures for the Federal Government and those critical infrastructure sectors where we have authority to do so.”

He announced a new plan “public-private partnerships and initiatives to enhance cybersecurity across all our critical infrastructure.”

“Russia may be planning a cyber attack against us.”

US President Joe Biden says the more Vladimir Putin’s back is against the wall during his war on Ukraine, “the greater severity of the tactics he may employ.” pic.twitter.com/c1qrQ3HN53

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 22, 2022

“Congress has partnered with us on these efforts — we appreciate that Members of Congress worked across the aisle to require companies to report cyber incidents to the United States Government,” Biden added.

He had also warned, “The magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential, and it’s coming.” Biden said specifically of Putin that he still holds the cyber attack option in his arsenal. “He hasn’t used it yet, but it’s part of his playbook.”