Putin: Artists paint and hackers hack – and some are patriots

VLADIMIR PUTIN has compared hackers to “artists” whose natural creative and patriotic urges could have compelled them to spontaneously carry out a series of cyber attacks against perceived Kremlin opponents.

Speaking at the St Petersburg Economic Forum yesterday, Mr Putin reiterated denials that the Kremlin engaged in cyber espionage “at the government level”.

But he appeared to acknowledge that independent Russian hackers may well have been behind notorious hacks such as that against the Democratic National Convention, in an apparent attempt to embarrass Hillary Clinton, during last year’s US election campaign. He said: “Hackers are free people like artists. If artists get up in the morning feeling good, all they do all day is paint. The same goes for hackers.

“They got up today and read that something is going on internationally. If they are feeling patriotic they will start contributing, as they believe, to the justified fight against those speaking ill of Russia. Is that possible? In theory, yes.”

He added: “At the government level, we never engage in this. This is what is most important.”

Western security services believe the Russian state has been behind a series of hacks and cyber attacks, including the leaking of emails from Emmanuel Macron’s French presidential campaign.

Mr Putin denied any involvement.