Italian Foreign Minister says pro-Russian hackers targeted him over Ukraine support

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday (November 7, 2026) that his ​personal data had been published on the dark ‌web by what he said were ​pro-Russian hackers, adding that the ⁠move was linked to the Italian government's support for Ukraine.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who ‌has been one of the strongest backers of Ukraine among Western ‌leaders, expressed her support for Mr. Tajani and ‌said ⁠the sale of confidential information relating ⁠to public officials was "a matter of serious concern".Moscow has not commented on the incident. Russia has consistently ​denied any involvement ‌in cyberattacks or hacking operations abroad.Mr. Tajani, who is also Italy's deputy Prime Minister, said in a post on X ‌that "backing in a transparent way the ​freedom and independence of a sovereign state" had made him a ⁠target and that the hackers were seeking further information about him and his family and ‌were willing to pay for it.The attacks were also a reaction to efforts by the Foreign Ministry to strengthen cybersecurity, Mr. Tajani addedScreenshots seen by Reuters showed Mr. Tajani's picture among a ‌list of 18 "citizens hostile to the Russian Federation", ​which also included cybersecurity expertsThe material was found in a section ⁠of the dark web accessible through the Tor ⁠network as part of monitoring activities carried out by cybersecurity authorities, ‌a person close to the Minister told Reuters.Further investigations are being undertaken, ​they added. Published - November 07, 2026 07:36 pm IST