Mattarella's comments, made during a visit to Montenegro, expressed hope for Russia to respect international law, which sparked outrage in Moscow.

On February 18, 2025, the pro-Russian hacker group NoName57 launched cyberattacks on Italian government websites, a response to President Sergio Mattarella's controversial remarks.

Cybersecurity experts view these attacks as propaganda actions, primarily aimed at demonstrating power rather than causing significant disruption.

The agency intervened promptly to alert affected institutions and implement countermeasures, effectively minimizing the impact of the attacks.

Frattasi acknowledged the ideological motivation behind these attacks, noting they often occur in response to significant political statements.

The group criticized Mattarella for allegedly ignoring Italy's historical alliances with Nazi Germany, further illustrating the political tensions at play.

The attacks utilized Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) tactics, overwhelming targeted websites to render them temporarily inoperable.

While the attacks caused some temporary disruptions, they did not significantly damage Italy's critical infrastructure.

The Italian National Cybersecurity Agency reported no major disruptions to the targeted websites, with institutions like Iccrea Banca confirming operational stability.

Italy's stance towards Russia has shifted under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has provided military aid to Ukraine, contrasting with Italy's previous alignment.

NoName57 is known for its involvement in the DDoSia botnet and has a history of conducting similar attacks globally, particularly during geopolitical tensions.

Prime Minister Meloni defended Mattarella's remarks, emphasizing that the attacks did not lead to major disruptions in Italy.