(Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to delay a highly anticipated speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday after a cyberattack disrupted the system handling access badges to the venue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Putin will speak at 3pm, an hour later than planned, Peskov said, to give technicians time to repair the damage and ensure audience members can enter the hall.
The system was hit by a DDOS attack starting Thursday, Peskov said, without elaborating on the possible source. “Problems arose with the distribution of badges and confirmation of access to the main plenary session,” he said. “We will fix it, but it will take time.”
A person at the forum said audience members were able to enter the main hall without difficulty but noted that mobile internet access in the area appeared to be cut off.
Putin, known for his tardiness to public events, is scheduled to make one of his first major public addresses since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine at the session. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a video address, as well, according to the Kremlin.
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