*MOSCOW- *

Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber-attacks during the WorldCup, President Vladimir Putin said, though he did not indicate who may havebeen behind the attacks.

“During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks andother criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in oneway or another to the World Cup, were neutralised,” Putin said during ameeting on Sunday with security services.

The president, whose comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday, gaveno information on the nature or possible origins of the cyber-attacks.

“Behind this (World Cup) success lies huge preparatory, operational,analytical and information work, we operated at maximum capacity andconcentration,” said Putin.

Russia, which hosted the World Cup from June 14 to July 15 in 11 cities and12 stadiums, has been repeatedly accused by Western countries of conductingcyber-attacks.

On Friday, 12 Russian military intelligence officers were charged withhacking Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the DemocraticParty in a stunning indictment three days before President Donald Trumpmeets with Putin in Helsinki on Monday.

The charges were drawn up by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBIdirector who is looking into Russian interference in the November 2016 voteand whether any members of Trump’s campaign team colluded with Moscow.