Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Russian state has never been involved in hacking.
Speaking at a meeting with senior editors of leading international news agencies Thursday, Putin said that some individual "patriotic" hackers could mount some attacks amid the current cold spell in Russia's relations with the West.
But he categorically insisted that "we don't engage in that at the state level."
Putin also said that "no hackers can influence election campaigns in any country of Europe, Asia or America."
U.S. intelligence agencies have accused Russia of hacking into Democratic Party emails, helping President Donald Trump's election victory.
PUTIN SAYS ATTEMPTS TO CONTAIN RUSSIA WON'T WORK
President Vladimir Putin has warned that attempts to contain Russia won't succeed.
Without naming any particular country, Putin said that Russia has faced attempts to hurt its legitimate interests.
Russia's relations with the West have been at post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis. The U.S. and the EU have slapped Moscow with sanctions over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Speaking at a meeting with senior editors of leading international news agencies Thursday, Putin said that economic restrictions against Russia have had "zero effect."
He predicted that the current strain in relations will ease, because "it's counterproductive and harmful."
