Putin: Patriotic Russians may be involved in hacking Published duration 1 June 2017 Related Topics US election 2016

image copyright AFP image caption Mr Putin suggested Russian hackers might target 'those who speak ill of Russia'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested "patriotic" Russian citizens might be engaged in hacking.

Such individuals might be joining "the justified fight against those speaking ill of Russia," he said.

Like "artists" who get up and paint all day, he added, hackers spend their day attacking adversaries.

Mr Putin also denied once again that his administration hacked the US election last year.

He added that this activity was "never" carried out at the government level and he expressed his belief that hackers could not influence voters' minds.

Some US politicians have suggested that Russia may have been involved in an attempt to sway the presidential election.

In March, the FBI confirmed that it has been investigating allegations of Russian interference.

The probe is examining potential links between Russia and Donald Trump's campaign.

President Trump's administration has denied that there was any collusion.