Britain and the United States joined Georgia last Thursday, accusing Russia of launching large-scale cyberattacks last year, which toppled thousands of Georgian Internet websites and disrupted national TV programs.

The attacks on government, private and media websites took place on October 28, including the sites affiliated with the Georgian President's Office and two private television stations.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that the electronic attacks that distorted the websites to display a picture of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili were planned and executed by the Russian army.

The ministry's spokesman, Vladimir Constantine, said that the attacks "were aimed at harming the citizens and Georgian government structures by disrupting and paralyzing the function of organizations, causing concern among the general public."

Britain and the United States attributed the attacks specifically to a unit of Russia's Military Intelligence Service known as "GRU".

Western countries have accused the Russian device of masterminding a wave of devastating cyberattacks in recent years, including breakthroughs that brought down parts of the Ukrainian energy grid and paralyzed businesses worldwide in 2017.

And US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday evening that the attack "directly affected the Georgian population, disrupted the operations of several thousand Georgian government sites and privately run sites, and stopped broadcasting at least two large television stations."

For his part, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Rapp said, "The reckless and brazen campaign of GRU's cyberattacks against Georgia - the sovereign and independent country - is totally unacceptable."

The cyber attacks - which Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement - are the latest alleged attempt by Russia to undermine and destabilize the former Soviet Republic of Georgia since a short war between the two countries in 2008 over a breakaway Georgian region.