Russia denied meddling in French elections Tuesday after a top aide to French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron alleged Russia hit Macron’s campaign with hundreds of cyberattacks. Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s defense minister, said last week French intelligence agencies were attempting to fortify cybersecurity surrounding the election. The announcement followed allegations Russia intended to interfere in French elections in favor of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who is sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Intelligence agencies said they were concerned Russia would saturate the internet with bots leaving pro-Le Pen comments.
“Official Moscow has never engaged in this, does not intend to engage in this in the future and is not going to put up when someone is trying to interfere in our own affairs from outside,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, according to the state-run Russian news outlet Sputnik.
Macron’s party chief also said his candidate was the target of a “fake news” campaign from the Russian media, including Sputnik and Russia Today.
Full Article: Did Russia Hack French Elections? Kremlin Denies Pro-Marine Le Pen Cyberattacks, Despite Emmanuel Macron Claims.