The International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg is taking place for the 25th time this year. The appearance of the host and head of the Kremlin Putin has to be postponed for the time being.
According to the Kremlin, the planned speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin has been delayed due to a hacker attack on the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
There was an attack on the admission system, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. The speech planned for 1:00 p.m. CEST was postponed by one hour.
Every year, Putin’s appearance in front of an international audience is the highlight of the economic gathering, which this year marks its 25th anniversary. The Kremlin had previously announced a landmark speech by the President.
Guests must have a special delegate pass to access the Forum grounds, which are organized like a major business fair and feature hundreds of round tables and other events. Guests are only allowed through if the security system with computers and screens works. According to the Kremlin, this system has now been attacked by hackers.
Criticism of sanctions expected
Under the impression of unprecedented Western sanctions, Putin wants to give a speech on the prospects of the resource superpower. He is expected to once again criticize the punitive measures taken against the country as illegal. With the sanctions, the West wants to ensure that Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine.
Because of the sanctions, numerous Western companies, including German companies, had left Russia. Putin has repeatedly stated that the pressure from the EU and the USA is in vain and that Russia is currently generating particularly high revenues due to the high prices for oil and gas on the world market.
The organizers speak of participants from 115 countries this year. Guests of honor include President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the authoritarian former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, the Taliban from Afghanistan and the separatist leaders from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, which are recognized by Russia, and are being persecuted as terrorists. Putin will also meet with Russian media representatives, including war reporters.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
