The Hague (AFP) - The Netherlands' anti-cybercrime agency said Wednesday that pro- Russian hackers were likely behind a cyber attack targeting a hospital in the Netherlands and hospitals in other European countries that support Ukraine.

And the "UMCG" hospital in Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands, announced on Saturday that its website had been disrupted due to a cyber attack.

On Wednesday, the Dutch National Center for Cyber Security said that "European hospitals, including in the Netherlands, have most likely been targeted by the pro-Russian hacking group Kelnat".

"This group has launched denial-of-service attacks on hospitals (in countries) helping Ukraine" to defend itself against Russian aggression, he added.

In a denial-of-service attack, the target site is flooded with simultaneous access requests.

"The denial-of-service attacks have so far achieved moderate success and limited impact," the center added.
Hospitals in Britain, Germany, Poland, Scandinavia and the United States have reported similar attacks.

Last week, the websites of airports, public administrations and others in the financial sector in Germany were subjected to attacks attributed to the "Kelnat" group.

The same group was accused of being involved in a denial-of-service attack targeting the European Parliament's website in November, shortly after the foundation approved a resolution describing Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism".