Hacker collective Anonymous has disabled several Russian government websites including the state-controlled “Russia Today” news service, writes abc.net.au.

Hackers identifying with the Anonymous collective announced they had launched cyber operations that briefly took down RT.com, as well as the websites of the Kremlin, the Russian government and the Russian defence ministry websites.

RT.com confirmed the attack took place, saying it slowed some websites down while taking others offline for “extended periods of time”. In the UK, MPs have said the TV channel is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “personal propaganda tool” and should be banned.