The storm over a cyberattack on U.S. government agencies only helps Russian President Vladimir Putin’s image at home as a strong leader unafraid to confront the former Cold War enemy, even as the Kremlin denies involvement amid fears of a backlash when Joe Biden enters the White House.
"Inside the country it bolsters the authorities’ prestige,” said Andrey Kortunov, head of the Kremlin-founded Russian International Affairs Council. "Outside Russia, it only deepens mistrust and this creates risks” by stoking hostility in Washington and other Western capitals, he said.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo became the highest ranking U.S. official to link Moscow to the attacks, saying in a radio interview on Friday that Putin "remains a real risk to those of us who love freedom.”