Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov claimed on Saturday that the United States has allocated $11 billion for cyberattacks in 2023, planning to target governments around the world. He did not divulge the source of the information but he told RIA Novosti that the latest US government spending is in line with the "huge amounts of money" dedicated for the purpose each year.
"Western countries want to use information and its carriers - big data and software tools for their transmission - to subjugate unwanted governments through cyberattacks," Syromolotov stated. A number of Western countries have recently accused Russian actors of carrying out cyberattacks as well, both in the Ukraine war and against their own systems, including the US, the European Union and Australia.