Russian ambassador rejects UK claims that hackers tried to steal virus vaccine information
- Andrei Kelin told the BBC that there was ‘no sense’ in the allegations that were first made last week
- The alleged hacking group is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence
Russia’s ambassador to Britain has rejected allegations that his country’s intelligence services sought to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine.
“I don’t believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it,” he said when asked about the allegations. “I learned about their (the hackers) existence from British media. In this world, to attribute any kind of computer hackers to any country, it is impossible.”
Intelligence agencies in the US, Britain and Canada on Thursday accused the hacking group APT29 – also known as Cozy Bear and believed to be part of Russian intelligence – of using malicious software to attack academic and pharmaceutical research institutions involved in Covid-19 vaccine development. It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said that “Russian actors” had tried to interfere in last year’s general election by “amplifying” stolen government papers online.
