Italy foreign minister claims pro-Russian hackers targeted him for supporting Ukraine

ROME- Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday 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 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.

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, Tajani added

Screenshots seen by Reuters showed Tajani's picture among a list of 18 "citizens hostile to the Russian Federation", which also included cybersecurity experts.

The 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.

-Giulia Segreti in Rome; Editing by Alexander Smith/Reuters