Montenegro Reports Massive Russian Cyberattack against Govt

PODGORICA (AP) Montenegro's security agency warned on Friday of a coordinated cyberattack by Russia on the nation's government.

According to the Agency for National Security (or ANB), Montenegro is currently "under an attack that is a hybrid."

The Adriatic Sea state, once thought to be a powerful Russian ally, has since joined NATO despite strong opposition from Moscow. It also joined Western sanctions against Russia to protest its invasion of Ukraine.

In addition to many European countries, Russia has added Montenegro to its list of "enemy states" for acting against Kremlin's interests.
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The Montenegrin government announced earlier this week that it had been the first government to be struck by a string of cyberattacks on its servers. However, it claimed that it was able stop any further damage. The attack is currently ongoing.

"Coordinated Russian services are behind the cyber attack," the ANB said in the statement. "This kind of attack took place in Montenegro for the first time and was planned for a long time."

Dusan Polovic, a senior government official said, "I can confirm that the threat Montenegro is suffering these days is directly originating from Russia."

The U.S. embassy in Montenegro warned its citizens living in the Balkan state to be aware of a "persistent and ongoing cyberattack in process."

It stated that the attack could cause disruptions in the transportation as well as the public utility and telecommunications sectors.

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