Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday that his personal data had been published on the dark web—by pro-Russian hackers, according to him. He added that the move was linked to the Italian government’s support for Ukraine, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine among Western leaders, expressed her support for Tajani. She said that the sale of confidential information about government officials was a "serious concern."
The publication notes that moscow has not yet commented on the incident. russia consistently denies involvement in cyberattacks or hacking operations abroad.
Tajani, who also serves as Italy’s deputy prime minister, wrote on the social network X that he had become a target because of his "open support for the freedom and independence of a sovereign state." According to him, the hackers are seeking additional information about him and his family and are willing to pay for it.
Tajani added that the attacks were also a reaction to the Foreign Ministry’s efforts to strengthen cybersecurity.
In screenshots seen by Reuters journalists, Tajani’s photograph appears on a list of 18 "citizens hostile to the Russian Federation"; cybersecurity experts were also included on the list.
According to a source close to the minister who spoke to Reuters, the data was discovered on the dark web (in a segment accessible through the Tor network) during monitoring conducted by agencies responsible for cybersecurity.
According to the source, further investigation is currently underway.
In a letter to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Tajani urged the countries of the "Group of Seven" (G7) to include hybrid warfare and recent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe on the agenda of next week’s meeting of foreign ministers, as well as to coordinate a joint response to these threats.