The Kremlin has accused Germany of launching cyber-attacks to disrupt Russia's State Duma elections in September.
Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports that Moscow could wage an online offensive before next year's German elections, claiming that Russia had instead been the victim of European cyber-attacks.
"We expect cyber-attacks during every signal Russian election," he said. "These cyber-attacks happen, and believe me, among those thousands and tens of thousands of cyber-attacks, some are carried out by people within Germany's borders, as well as in other European countries," Peskov said.
Peskov's statement followed warnings from Germany's intelligence chief about the possible Russian hacking attempts during the German election, as well as claims that Russia had launched cyber-attacks during the U.S. presidential elections in November.