Russian Embassy Trolls The Times for 'Throwing Out Dated Concepts…Like Evidence'

In its Saturday print edition, The Times ran a story claiming that hackers backed by the Russian government had attacked energy networks running part of the UK's energy grid in an effort to infiltrate the grid's control systems.

The paper explained that senior engineers at Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB) were targeted in a spear phishing attack last month by a group "understood to have ties to the Kremlin's GRU intelligence agency." The paper also recalled an earlier attack on US nuclear and energy companies, reported last week, which was also blamed on elusive Russian hackers.

The Times story makes no reference to any conclusive proof showing Russian responsibility for the power grid hacking attacks, only citing 'experts' who said that the GRU was using Ireland as a 'testing ground for cyberwarfare'.

No evidence of disruption of power network has been reported, either, although security analysts said that they fear the hackers may have stolen information such as passwords.

Commenting on The Times piece, the Russian Embassy in the UK, well-known for its regular trolling of Western politicians and media over claims about Russia being responsible for anything and everything that's wrong with the world, tweeted that the story was interesting for its lack of evidence.

Journalism is getting rid of outdated concepts like evidence. It is pamphleteering (read @gilliantett, @FT ). pic.twitter.com/6n5FOfKUll

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) 15 июля 2017 г.

"Journalism is getting rid of outdated concepts like evidence," the Embassy quipped, in a tweet together with a pic of the story. The Times report, the Embassy said, looked less like a piece of journalism, and more like "pamphleteering."