Lithuania points finger at Russia over multiple attempted hackings & ‘important documents’ stolen from country’s foreign ministry

Lithuania’s defense minister has blamed Russian hackers for a cyberattack that saw documents stolen from his country’s foreign ministry in November 2020. The hack only recently came to light after another alleged attempted breach.

Writing on Facebook, Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas claimed that attacks on Lithuania are normally carried out by Russian secret services. He also said he wouldn’t confirm the authenticity of any stolen documents, noting that some are classified as confidential.

He did not provide evidence of Russia’s involvement.

Anušauskas’ comments came on the same day as Asta Skaisgirytė, the Lithuanian chief presidential advisor, revealed that “important documents” had been stolen last year. President Gitanas Nauseda also spoke, noting that the theft may cause “serious damage, first of all, for allies.”

“There are certain signs showing that certain information leaked,” he told Lithuanian news website Delfi. “And that information is deemed classified.”

In recent years, Western countries have repeatedly accused Moscow of being linked to hacks and cyberattacks all over the world. Earlier this year, Sergey Naryshkin, the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), called the constant accusations against Russia “absurd” and “pathetic.”

READ MORE: Cyberhack dispute: Russian diplomats say Moscow not behind attacks on US targets, but is itself constantly bombarded by Americans

“Regarding these accusations that have been leveled against us publicly, that’s right – Russia is not involved,” he asserted.

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