Russia on Thursday offered sympathy to North Korea amid the Sony hacking scandal, saying the movie that sparked the dispute was so scandalous that Pyongyang’s anger was “quite understandable.”
Washington failed to offer any proof to back its claims of Pyongyang’s involvement in the hacking, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander lukashevich said at a briefing, adding that the US threats of retaliation were “counterproductive.”The US has blamed Pyongyang for the recent cyberattack on Sony Pictures, which produced ‘The Interview’, a comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang has denied a role in the hacking, but also praised it as a “righteous deed.”
Russia’s ties with the communist North soured after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but have improved under President Vladimir Putin’s watch.Sony initially decided not to release the film because of threats against US cinemas, but released the movie online on Wednesday. The Interview became available for rental on a variety of digital platforms on Thursday, including Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and a separate Sony website, Sony Pictures announced.