Russia says it is not involved in cyberattacks on supermarket fridges in Europe

The Kremlin affirmed Thursday, November 5, that it was not involved in the cyberattacks that targeted supermarket refrigerators in several European countries in recent weeks, saying that accusing Moscow was “absurd.” According to the specialized press, these attacks were claimed by two groups of pro-Russian hackers, NoName057(16) and Z-Pentest, already known for other operations in Europe in recent years.

Asked on Thursday, November 5, about the involvement of the Russian state, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told journalists that such accusations would be “absolutely absurd” and would not be based “on any argument or evidence.” “These kinds of baseless accusations targeting our country and implicating it in anything and everything are, unfortunately, becoming a persistent trend in European countries,” he added.

A dozen European countries targeted

As in France in October, several supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg and Sweden discovered a spectacular rise in the temperature in their refrigerators and freezers at the beginning of November, forcing them to throw away spoiled food. Monday, November 2 in France, cold rooms containing stocks from blood donations suffered a cyberattack via a refrigeration service provider from the French Blood Establishment, with no “health impact” identified at this stage.

Long isolated from the internet, industrial equipment such as refrigeration units are now connected to allow their remote supervision and control, which makes them vulnerable to cyberattacks. European countries regularly accuse Russia of cyberattacks, particularly since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine launched in 2022. In recent months, European countries have also warned of an increase in sabotage activities carried out by Russia.