Russian spokesperson rejects claims of involvement in European supermarket refrigerator hacks

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia or pro-Russian groups were behind recent cyber-attacks that raised temperatures in supermarket refrigerators in nine European countries, including the United Kingdom.

"These are absurd statements. As always, they have no arguments or evidence to support them," Peskov said, adding that such accusations have become a recurring theme in Europe. The attacks, which forced fridge temperatures up to 50 °C, represent the second incident of this type in three weeks. European authorities have not disclosed how the intruders accessed the systems and have not publicly attributed responsibility. Cyber-security experts noted that the technical methods used could point to a state actor. Xavier Bellekens, chief executive of Lupovis, told a media outlet that the operation demonstrated a capability to target critical infrastructure such as food supply chains across Europe and could be intended as a warning to other sectors. Investigators reported that the hackers entered the systems using the default credentials "Supervisor" and "12345," though officials have not confirmed this detail. Graeme Downie, chair of the Coalition on Secure Technology and a Member of Parliament, warned that similar attacks could threaten hospital refrigeration units storing blood and vaccines, urging health facilities to review their security. Security officials said the sophistication of such threats is increasing, and NATO and several European intelligence agencies view Russia's cyber activities as part of a broader pattern of sabotage and political interference. In January 2025, former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger described hybrid threats from hostile states as actions that fall below the threshold of war, ranging from disinformation to sabotage and cyber coercion.