Spanish Government: Catalan crisis was instigated by Russian hackers
Russian hackers worked to exacerbate relations between Spain and Catalonia by spreading messages on social networks, as stated by two Ministers from the Spanish government, DW reports.
Spain's Minister of Defense, María Dolores de Cospedal, noted that many messages on social networks on the topic of Catalonia came from the Russian segment of the Internet, however it is unknown whether the Russian government is involved.
The presence of evidence of an intervention by hackers from "Russian networks" was also announced by Spanish Foreign Minister, Alfonso Dastis, in an interview with one of the local radio stations. Dustis said that it was an attempt to destabilize not only Spain, but the whole of the European Union.
The attempts to manipulate the situation in Spain via the Internet will be discussed by representatives of the foreign ministries of the EU countries on Monday, November 13th, in Brussels, a government spokesman in Madrid said.
Earlier, the foreign ministers of eight EU countries sent a letter to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. They call for an urgent increase in efforts to counter propaganda and destabilization, which "external actors" are trying to sow in the EU.