Ukraine hit by cyberattack, Russia moves troops

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"Be afraid and expect the worst".

That was the warning message from a massive cyber attack that hit government websites in Ukraine on Friday (January 14).

The country's security service said they were investigating the incident and that some government websites had been suspended to stop it from spreading.

It added that most affected websites have been restored and no personal data was leaked.

Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine's frontier, said on Friday troops in its far east would practice long-range deployments.

The developments came after no breakthrough was reached at meetings between Russia and Western States, which fear Moscow could launch a new attack on a country it invaded in 2014.

Russia denies plans to attack its neighbor.

Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters it was too early to say who could be behind Friday's cyber attack but added that Russia had been behind similar strikes in the past.

Russia did not immediately comment. It has previously denied being behind cyber attacks on Ukraine.

The European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack and said the EU's political and security committee and cyber units would meet to see how to respond and help Kyiv.

"Of course, we cannot point fingers at anyone. I have no proof, but we can imagine."

At talks this week with the United States and NATO, Russia said dialogue hit a dead end as it tried to persuade the West to bar Ukraine from joining the alliance and roll back decades of NATO expansion in Europe.

The U.S. and NATO have rejected those demands but said they are willing to talk about arms control, missile deployments, confidence-building measures and limits on military exercises.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Russia hopes to resume talks, but that depends on Washington's point-by-point response to Moscow's proposals.

He warned if security talks fail with the West, a potential Russian response would entail a deployment of military hardware.