“This kind of attack took place for the first time in Montenegro and was prepared for a long time,” the National Security Service told the country’s journalists.
By Miltos Sakellaris
His National Security Agency of Montenegro pointed out a few days ago that the Russian services have organized coordinated cyber attacks on the country’s government servers at least twice since August 22, pointing out that the country is in “hybrid warfare”.
“Coordinated Russian agencies are behind the cyber attack. This kind of attack was carried out for the first time in Montenegro and was prepared for a long time,” the National Security Service told the country’s journalists.
The timeline of the case
On August 22, the government reported the first series of cyberattacks to its server, but said it was able to prevent any damage.
Outgoing Public Administration Minister Maras Dukaj underlined in his statements that the government server was hit by another attack, but clarified that the authorities took timely defensive measures and some servers were temporarily taken offline. In addition, outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic described the cyber attacks as dangerous and politically motivated. At the same time, he convened a meeting of the National Security Council for a major issue that arose.
“Citizens’ personal data is completely safe for now and all direct attacks on the government and its institutions have been suppressed… The first attack came hours after the government’s vote of no confidence last week. I warned that it could lead to destabilization,” Abazovic said.
Montenegro’s minority government collapsed on August 19 after parliament backed a no-confidence vote called for by President Milo Djukanovic’s party and smaller parties in the ruling coalition, exacerbating the country’s political instability.
Current Defense Minister Rasko Koniewicz called on the authorities to investigate the cyberattacks and present evidence for their allegations. Koniewicz’s Social Democratic Party supported the no-confidence motion.
Notably, on March 7, Russia added Montenegro to the list of “enemy states”, accusing it of acting against the Kremlin. On March 1, Montenegro supported European Union sanctions against Moscow, while the Foreign Ministry declared several Russian diplomats persona non grata at the request of the National Security Service.
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