Putin convenes top Russian officials to discuss cybersecurity

MOSCOW, Oct 14 - Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss cybersecurity with top officials on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, describing it as an increasingly pressing issue but denying the meeting was prompted by a spate of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian data centres.

"Artificial intelligence technologies bring many benefits and advantages, boosting efficiency. But at the same time, of course, attempts by various states to weaponize these new technologies... pose threats to entire sectors of any country's economy," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Naturally, we are no exception, and we must be prepared for these challenges. That is why the president is holding this meeting today."

Peskov said the meeting was not connected with Ukrainian drone strikes in the past week on four Russian data centres - three belonging to tech group Yandex and one to Sberbank.

"No, this is a much more systemic meeting. It is not connected to those specific, isolated attacks," he said.

The participants will include government ministers, top security officials, the head of Sberbank, and central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina, Peskov added. REUTERS