Russia may have tested cyber warfare on Latvia, Western officials say

Armoured vehicles and helicopters take part in the Zapad 2017 war games at a range near the town of Borisov, Belarus September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

RIGA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Moscow was probably behind interruptions in Latvia's mobile communications network before Russia's war games last month, in an apparent test of its cyber attack tools, Baltic and NATO officials said, based on early intelligence of the drills.

Russia is suspected of interrupting the mobile network along Latvia's western coast for seven hours on Aug. 30, NATO diplomats and Latvian security officials said. A communications jammer aimed towards Sweden from Russia's Baltic outpost Kaliningrad may have been used.