UK defence chief Gavin Williamson blames Russian military for 2017 NotPetya cyberattack
He warned of a ‘new era of warfare’ and urged Moscow to take responsibility
Britain’s defence minister has accused the Russian government of “undermining democracy” with a cyberattack that targeted Ukraine and spread across Europe last year.
The UK government took the unusual step of publicly accusing Moscow of the NotPetya ransomware attack in June, which primarily targeted the Ukrainian financial, energy and government sectors.
Ukraine has been in conflict with Kremlin-backed separatists since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
The attack was designed to spread further and affected European and Russian companies.
The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, said: “We have entered a new era of warfare, witnessing a destructive and deadly mix of conventional military might and malicious cyberattacks.
“Russia is ripping up the rule book by undermining democracy, wrecking livelihoods by targeting critical infrastructure and weaponising information … We must be primed and ready to tackle these stark and intensifying threats.”
