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Putin: Russia Has Never Been Involved in Hacking

But “patriotic” Russian individuals might launch hacking attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his country has never been involved in hacking. There are, he said, individual “patriotic” hackers who could mount attacks, but he added that “we don’t engage in that at the state level.” Despite reports to the contrary, Putin also said that “no hackers can influence election campaigns in any country of Europe, Asia, or America.” U.S. intelligence agencies have accused the Kremlin of interfering in the 2016 presidential election and assisting President Trump in his victory. In the meeting with news agency editors, Putin also noted that international sanctions against Russia after its invasion of the Crimean Peninsula and interference in Ukraine have had “zero effect.”