On Tuesday, June 14, it was discovered that hackers, who are believed to have ties with the Russian Government, had access to the Democratic National Committee’s database for over a year. Once the breach was discovered, the DNC was able to quickly secure the network. What they know is that the hackers had access to the DNC files containing counterarguments against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. It has been concluded that the data breach was most likely conducted by the Russian hacking group Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear. The Kremlin was quick to deny any involvement in the attack.
Countries around the world have kept a close eye on American politics because in a global economy, other countries are often affected by American policy. It is still unclear why the Russians were interested in taking information that the DNC will most likely use to combat Trump. However, it may be important to note that of all the 2016 presidential candidates, Republican or Democrat, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has expressed his respect for Trump. This respect may come from Trump being very vocal about his intentions of moving past Cold War tensions and starting to view Russia as an ally.