US designates Russia's Wagner military group an intl 'criminal organization'

 Yahoo - AFP, January 20, 2023 

The United States on Friday designated Russia's Wagner group as a "transnational criminal organization," raising pressure on the private Russian army fighting in Ukraine. 

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Wagner, controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to President Vladimir Putin, has about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, 80 percent of them drawn from prisons. 

Kirby showed US intelligence photographs of North Korea supplying arms to Wagner for its Ukraine operations, and said the private army has become a rival to the formal Russian military. 

The photographs, from November 18-19, show Russian rail cars entering North Korea, picking up a load of infantry rockets and missiles, and returning to Russia, he said. 

He said the US Treasury was formally designating Wagner as a transnational criminal organization, putting it in league with Italian mafia groups and Japanese and Russian organized crime. 

The designation will allow the wider application of sanctions on the group’s sprawling global network, which includes mercenary operations as well as businesses in Africa and elsewhere. 

Wagner "is a criminal organization that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses," Kirby said. 

"We will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose and target those who are assisting Wagner," he said. 

Kirby also said the United States had presented its intelligence on Wagner's North Korean purchase to the UN Security Council's unit on North Korea sanctions. 

The arms transfers from North Korea are in direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, Kirby said. 

Kirby said there is evidence that Prigozhin's confidence in Wagner fighters' relative success in Ukraine has generated tensions in the Kremlin. 

"Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries," Kirby said. 

"Prigozhin is trying to advance his own interest in Ukraine and Wagner is making military decisions based largely on what they will generate for Prigozhin, in terms of positive publicity."

'Butcher' Putin 'cannot remain in power': Biden

Yahoo – AFP, Aurélia END, 26 March 2022 

US President Joe Biden, with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz (c) visiting Ukrainian
refugees in Warsaw on Saturday (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

President Joe Biden on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power" after meeting top Ukrainian ministers for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Within minutes of his comments during a visit to Warsaw, a White House official played down the remarks saying Biden "was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change". 

"The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region," the official said. 

Biden compared Ukraine's resistance against Russia to the anti-Soviet "battle for freedom" and said the world must prepare for a "long fight ahead". 

"We stand with you," he told Ukrainians in a sweeping speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, which he began with the words of late Polish pope John Paul II: "Be not afraid." 

He said Russia had suffered a "strategic failure" in Ukraine and told ordinary Russians they were "not our enemy", urging them to blame Putin for the heavy sanctions imposed by the West. 

He also warned Russia not to move on an "inch" of NATO territory, reiterating the "sacred obligation" of collective defence for alliance members. 

"We will have a different future, a brighter future rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light. 

"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," he said, concluding his address. 

Russian missile fragment 

Biden earlier on Saturday met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who made a rare trip out of Ukraine in a possible sign of growing confidence in the fightback against Russian forces. 

The meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel in the city centre -- opposite a Warsaw train station where there has been a constant flow of Ukrainian refugees since the conflict started. 

Biden sat at a long white table between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, facing Kuleba and Reznikov, an AFP reporter saw. 

There were Ukrainian and US flags in the background. 

During the meeting Biden was flanked by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (far right, facing) and sitting opposite Kuleba and
Reznikov (front 3rd right) (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

Kuleba gave Biden the fragment of a Russian missile that struck a base in Yavoriv near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv close to the Polish border. 

"The invincible character of Ukrainians and Western ones, especially US ones, are the recipe for our victory," Kuleba said after the meeting. 

Kuleba said he had discussed new sanctions that could be imposed against Russia and how to ensure the current ones are properly implemented. 

Blinken and Austin "pledged continued support to meet Ukraine's humanitarian, security, and economic needs", State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. 

Biden last met Kuleba in Washington on February 22 -- two days before Russia launched its assault. 

Since then, Kuleba has also met Blinken in Poland, next to the border with Ukraine on March 5. 

'He's a butcher' 

The US leader later visited a refugee centre at the National Stadium in Warsaw where he met several refugees, including some from the city of Mariupol which has suffered the worst of Russia's assault. 

Asked by reporters what he thought of Putin's actions, Biden responded simply: "He's a butcher." 

"I remember what it's like when you have someone in a war zone and every morning you get up and you wonder, you are just wondering, you are praying you don't get that phone call," said Biden, whose son Beau served in Iraq before dying of a brain tumour. 

He also said he was "not sure" that Russia had changed its strategy in Ukraine after assertions by Russian officials that they were altering their war aims to concentrate on the eastern Donbas region. 

During his visit, Biden also told Polish President Andrzej Duda that NATO's collective defence was a "sacred commitment" for the US, adding: "You can count on that... For your freedom and ours." 

Duda told him that Poles felt a "great sense of threat" from the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine.

Russian Church mulls stop to practice of blessing nukes

Yahoo – AFP, 4 February 2020

Blessing ships and aircraft such as this SU-27 SM fighter jet is believed to
bestow divine protection

The Russian Orthodox Church has proposed a stop to the practice of having priests bless weapons of mass destruction, though sprinkling holy water on planes and ships is still deemed appropriate.

The Church on Monday published a draft document outlining its role in blessing Orthodox Christians who "protect the Fatherland" and "carry out their military duty", inviting internet users to discuss the proposal online.

Russians often ask priests to bless anything from new cars and flats to Soyuz spaceships in the belief that the gesture bestows divine protection.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, priests have also begun blessing troops, planes and ships, and all sorts of weapons, from Kalashnikov rifles to nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles.

But the document proposed that "blessing any type of weapons the usage of which can inflict an indefinite number of deaths, including weapons with indiscriminate effects or weapons of mass destruction... be removed from pastoral practice."

At the same time, it remains "appropriate" to "bless transport used by soldiers on land, water and in the air", to ask God to protect the men using them, it said.

The Russian military has forged ever closer ties to the Church under Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is overseeing the construction of a huge cathedral for Russia's armed forces outside Moscow.

It is to be opened on May 9, the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

Since 2010 the military has inducted priests into its ranks, including an airborne unit which can deploy with mobile inflatable chapels.

Blessing ships and aircraft such as this SU-27 SM fighter jet is believed to bestow divine protection.

Russian celebrities line up behind jailed actor

Yahoo – AFP, 17 September 2019

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Moscow after authorities refused to allow
prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament in September 8 elections

Russian celebrities have launched a solidarity campaign in support of a young actor who they say was wrongfully jailed for a crime amid a crackdown on the opposition.

On Monday, a Moscow court sentenced 23-year-old actor Pavel Ustinov to three and a half years in prison for violence against police at an opposition protest even though he claimed he was simply a bystander.

His sentencing sparked particular outrage because the court refused to consider video footage that showed police in an apparently unprovoked attack on the actor.

"I think that this is a completely trumped-up case," film actor Alexander Pal said in a video posted on Instagram.

Pal, one of the figures who kickstarted the social media campaign, said the video proved his innocence.

Footage from the scene showed several police in full riot gear lunging at Ustinov -- who was standing with a phone in his hand near a metro station -- and beating him with batons.

"We have to stop this, this is against all laws," actress Yulia Peresild said.

The stars, most of whom steer clear of politics, compared Ustinov's case with the case against journalist Ivan Golunov detained in June on trumped-up drug charges.

He was freed after an unprecedented campaign of solidarity which saw three major newspapers publish the same front page with the headline "I am/we are Ivan Golunov".

In a similar vein, dozens of celebrities and lesser known figures posted "I am/we Pavel Ustinov" on their Instagram accounts.

Supporters included actor Alexander Petrov, who has 2.1 million followers on Instagram, Maksim Vitorgan, Nikita Yefremov and others.

Sergei Lazarev, a pop star who has twice represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest, also posted in support of the campaign.

In a video, Maxim Galkin, a Kremlin-friendly impersonator and comedian, called the case against Ustinov a "colossal overkill" that deals a major blow to the reputation of courts, law enforcement agencies and authorities.

Investigators said Ustinov violated public order during an unauthorised rally on August 3 and put up resistance during his arrest. As a result, a policeman sprained his shoulder.

Ustinov has insisted on his innocence, saying he was simply a passerby.

His sentencing brought to six the number of people jailed for taking part in a recent wave of anti-government demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow after authorities refused to allow prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament in September 8 elections.

Kremlin defends 'justified' police response to protests

Yahoo – AFP, Ola CICHOWLAS, August 13, 2019

The West has condemned the actions of Russian police, who used batons
on demonstrators (AFP Photo/Vasily MAXIMOV)

Moscow (AFP) - The Kremlin on Tuesday defended the police response to a wave of protests demanding free local elections in Moscow and downplayed the huge demonstrations.

"We believe the firm action of law enforcement to curb public unrest was absolutely justified," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in the first Kremlin comment since the protests engulfed the capital.

"We do not agree with those who call what is happening a political crisis."

Since mid-July tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in central Moscow after the exclusion of several opposition figures from local polls next month.

"Law enforcement agencies are fulfilling their duties and do everything necessary to ensure security during sanctioned rallies," Peskov said.

Police detained hundreds after a major rally on Saturday and nearly 1,400 at a protest late last month. Some protesters were injured in the crackdown and footage of police violence sparked an outcry on social networks.

One young woman was punched in the stomach by an officer as she was dragged to the detention van Saturday. Her lawyer told AFP she was in hospital with a concussion.

The West has condemned the actions of Russian police, who used batons on demonstrators. AFP journalists at the scene saw protesters with injuries.

Peskov instead said that there had been instances of protesters using force against law enforcement during the demonstrations.

Following an unsanctioned protest on July 27, Russian investigators launched a probe into "mass unrest", a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Hundreds of protesters were detained at a major rally in Moscow on Saturday after 

a major rally on almost 1,400 were held at a protest late last month (AFP Photo/

Vasily MAXIMOV)

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny is serving a 30-day jail term for calling on people to attend the demonstration.

Largest protest since 2012

The protests are among the largest since 2011 and 2012 when Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency after serving a term as prime minister.

But Peskov dismissed their significance, saying that protests take place in "many countries".

"They cannot be associated with some kind of crisis," he said.

Russia has accused foreign governments and media of backing the demonstrations, and its internet watchdog has sent an official warning to Google over airing protest videos on the YouTube platform.

Lawmakers will hold a special session next week to discuss alleged "meddling" by foreign powers.

Putin has not commented on the Moscow protests.

During a police crackdown on the July 27 demonstration, the Russian leader plunged to the bottom of the Baltic Sea in a submersible, while last Saturday he was riding motorbikes in Crimea.

Peskov said Putin has "paid attention to what is happening" but has not commented because "every day in Russia a huge number of events take place."

Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's two decades in power.

The protests come amid growing frustration over declining living standards and a fall in the 66-year-old's approval ratings.

Police detain hundreds at Moscow opposition protest

Yahoo  - AFP, Maria Antonova and Theo Merz, August 3, 2019

Hundreds of protesters were detained (AFP Photo/Alexander NEMENOV)

Moscow (AFP) - Police detained over 800 people at an opposition gathering in Moscow on Saturday, as authorities upped the pressure on top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny by launching a criminal probe into his anti-graft group.

Crowds walked along the capital's central boulevards in a protest "stroll" over the refusal by officials to let opposition candidates run in September polls for city parliament seats -- a local issue that has turned into a political crisis.

Most of those candidates and opposition leaders, including Navalny, are being held by police following a protest rally last weekend, in which 1,400 demonstrators were detained -- one of the biggest crackdowns in years.

On Saturday, riot police were deployed in large numbers in central Moscow, some shops and cafes were shut, metal barriers were erected, mobile internet was down for many hours, and a metro station was temporarily closed.

Some 828 people were detained during the rally, independent protest monitor OVD-Info said.

Police said only 1,500 people took part in the gathering.

AFP correspondents said the turnout was likely in the thousands but a precise estimate was difficult as the protest was spread over several neighbourhoods.

Riot police appeared to outnumber small groups of protesters who were
walking along stretches of the leafy Boulevard Ring (AFP Photo/Vasily MAXIMOV )

Police actions questioned

AFP observed dozens of arrests along the route of the protest, as police formed human chains and grabbed people indiscriminately.

"They came and took seven people right in front of me," said 50-year-old Olga Yakovleva sitting on a bench on a square along the protest route. "I lost the power of speech... it was just people sitting and talking."

Lyubov Sobol, an ally of key opposition leader Navalny and currently three weeks into a hunger strike after being barred from taking part in the election, was dragged from a taxi and detained as she set off for the rally.

Hours later she was taken to court where she was fined 300,000 rubles ($4,600) for a gathering on July 15, and held for further questioning over the protest last weekend, her team said.

Opposition candidates who attempted to run in the polls next month argue that the authorities have arbitrarily declared signatures they gathered to qualify invalid.

Mini-profiles of main opposition leaders in Russia. (AFP Photo/Robin BJALON)

People in the crowd on Saturday said they just wanted the opposition to have a chance to compete.

"I believe everyone should have a right to take part" in the polls, 39-year-old Robert told AFP.

Footage surfaced of officers in riot gear beating people prostrated on the pavement with batons, and many officers began to wear masks to prevent activists from identifying them on photos and videos.

Amnesty International condemned the "unnecessary and excessive use of force" and "unfounded" attempts to paint Moscow protest actions as a violent uprising.

Authorities have launched investigations into last weekend's "mass riots" and "violence against police", echoing similar probes into protests against President Vladimir Putin in 2012 which saw several people jailed.

Protestors insist their actions are strictly peaceful, and there have been no reports of damaged property.

Police were deployed in large numbers in central Moscow (AFP Photo/Alexander
NEMENOV)

New 'laundering' probe

The opposition had hoped the September polls would bring an end to the monopoly of Kremlin loyalists in Moscow's parliament.

The body decides the city's multi-billion-dollar budget but lacks political independence from mayor Sergei Sobyanin, an ally of Putin.

Sobyanin has warned the opposition against "new provocations".

Navalny and other protest leaders say corruption is rife in the capital. His anti-corruption foundation FBK this week published a new investigation into Sobyanin's deputy, accusing her of selling prime Moscow property to family members at rock-bottom prices.

On Saturday, FBK, which previously made other high-profile investigations into the questionable wealth of top officials, itself became a target of a new probe into "laundering" a billion rubles ($15.3 million).

The popular FBK collects money through donations. Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov dismissed the allegations as an attempt to stamp out Navalny's national network of volunteers.

Servicemen of the Russian National Guard detained people at the unsanctioned r
ally urging fair elections in downtown Moscow (AFP Photo/Vasily MAXIMOV )

Navalny, currently in jail, was rushed from his cell to hospital last weekend in an incident his personal doctor said could be poisoning with an unknown chemical substance.

A state toxicology lab said no traces were found.

President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the situation in Moscow.

#UPDATE The German government says a Moscow police crackdown on peaceful protests "violates" Russia's international obligations and undermines the right to fair elections in the country, a day after hundreds were detained at an opposition rally. https://t.co/3gqhdClBgU pic.twitter.com/aXLx3Kyfvl

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 4 augustus 2019

Russian journalist walks free as drugs charges dropped after outcry

Yahoo – AFP, Anna SMOLCHENKO, June 11, 2019

Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov walks free from a Moscow police
station after drug charges against him are dropped (AFP Photo/Vasily MAXIMOV)

Moscow (AFP) - A Russian investigative journalist walked free late Tuesday after authorities in Moscow dropped drug charges against him in a rare climbdown by law enforcement following a public outcry.

Ivan Golunov, a reporter with independent media outlet Meduza, walked out of the gates of a Moscow police building to cheers from waiting journalist and wept as he thanked supporters.

"This all happened so quickly and thank you for that, that you supported me. I think it somehow influenced the course of events," Golunov said, with tears running down his cheeks.

He said he hoped his case would change police practices and "such situations will not happen again to anyone in this country."

The journalist vowed to continue his investigative reporting for Meduza, which is based in EU-member Latvia to allow it to work more freely.

"I will be doing investigations because I have to justify the trust of those who supported me," he said.

The 36-year-old was detained last week on charges supporters said were trumped up to punish him for his investigative work and placed under house arrest.

The case sparked outrage in Russia and abroad over what critics slammed as the impunity and corruption of law enforcement agencies.

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said Golunov was to be released from house arrest and charges against him lifted.

Kolokoltsev also said he would ask President Vladimir Putin to sack the head of a Moscow police department and another senior official in charge of drug control in the capital.

The EU welcomed the news, with a European Commission spokesperson calling it a "positive outcome", but demanding a probe into reports police beat Golunov in detention.

Journalists and activists reacted with joy.

The arrest triggered a public outcry, and Russia's most respected newspapers on 

Monday publishing headlines reading "I am (we are) Ivan Golunov" (AFP Photo/

Yuri KADOBNOV)

"This is victory... I'm crying," said Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny called it "an inspiring and motivating example of what simple solidarity... can achieve".

Golunov's Meduza colleague Ilya Zhegulev told AFP: "An unbelievable event has happened."

"Even the most optimistic didn't believe this would happen, and happen so quickly."

Arrest sparked outrage

Golunov had been charged with attempting to deal a "large amount" of drugs and was placed under house arrest at the weekend, facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The reporter said he was beaten in detention. His lawyers alleged drugs had been planted on him to justify his arrest.

Moscow police admitted photographs published on its website that they said showed drug paraphernalia found at the crime scene were not taken at Golunov's flat.

Golunov's lawyer Sergei Badamshin said Golunov's fingerprints were not found on any of the items police said they seized during a search of his flat.

The officers who arrested Golunov last week have been suspended pending an investigation, Kolokoltsev said.

"I believe that irrespective of any citizen's professional activities his rights should always be protected," the minister added.

After Golunov's arrest, hundreds protested outside a court and the Moscow police headquarters.

Supporters had organised a march to happen in Moscow for Wednesday to press for his freedom. But Golunov as he walked free said he would prefer supporters spend time with "loved ones and family."

Journalists and activists reacted with joy to Gulonov's release (AFP Photo/

Vasily MAXIMOV)

'We are Ivan Golunov'

The international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders hailed what it called the "historic mobilisation of the Russian civil society".

"Now those who tried to set him up must be judged," the NGO wrote on Twitter.

"We are happy that the authorities listened to society," the editorial team of Meduza and several other prominent journalists said in a statement. "This is just the beginning, a lot of work lies ahead."

As part of an unprecedented campaign of solidarity, major newspapers Kommersant, Vedomosti and RBK published the same front page on Monday with headline "I am/we are Ivan Golunov" in giant letters.

Even some staunchly pro-Kremlin television journalists such as RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan expressed support for the independent reporter.

Golunov has investigated everything from Russia's shady funeral industry to corruption at Moscow city hall.

His release came a month after days of protests forced authorities to backtrack over plans to build a controversial new cathedral in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

During his two decades in power, Putin has silenced most of his critics and sought to muzzle the media.

The few opposition and independent media that still operate in Russia are under huge pressure, Kremlin critics say.

The Meduza website is based in Latvia to circumvent censorship, but some of its journalists like Golunov live in Russia.

US House unanimously demands Mueller report be made public

Yahoo – AFP, March 14, 2019

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is believed close to wrapping up his investigation
of whether Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB)

Washington (AFP) - The US House of Representatives voted unanimously Thursday to demand that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's full report on his Russian election meddling investigation be made public.

The House voted 420-0 on the non-binding resolution, signaling strong opposition to any move that President Donald Trump and his Attorney General Bill Barr might make to restrict access by Congress or the public to Mueller's findings.

While Republicans condemned the resolution as a political move, ultimately 190 voted in favor.

The vote came as expectations rise that Mueller is near to bringing to a close a nearly two-year-old investigation that has focused on whether Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with the Russians.

Democrats speculate that the report might have enough evidence to support an impeachment effort against the president.

Mueller has indicted over three dozen people and companies, including six former close aides or associates of Trump.

Five have pleaded or been found guilty, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was sentence to prison for seven and a half years in two cases, the second of which concluded on Wednesday.

The sixth, political consultant Roger Stone, was appearing in court Thursday.

Mueller is believed to still be building possible cases against Trump associates, potentially targeting Trump himself and members of his family.

Court filings indicate he has at least one grand jury operating in secret.

The vote came after Barr refused in his confirmation hearings in February to commit to releasing Mueller's eventual report in full.

"I am deeply concerned that Attorney General Barr may attempt to withhold Mueller's full report from the public and the underlying evidence from Congress," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff ahead of the vote.

"Congress will not accept any attempt by Mr Barr or the president to bury the report and the findings of the special counsel."

"Transparency is fundamental to the special counsel's process, especially when dealing with matters of national security involving the president," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, whose committee will oversee any impeachment motion.

Russian attempt to hack chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague thwarted

DutchNews, October 4, 2018, Gordon Darroch and Senay Boztas

The OPCW headquarters in The Hague. Photo: Wikimedia Commons 

Dutch intelligence agencies have thwarted an attempt by Russian agents to hack into the wi-fi network of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague. 

Four agents from the GRU military intelligence service were ejected from the Netherlands immediately after the attempted breach was intercepted on April 13 this year, major-general Onno Eichelsheim, director of the military intelligence service MIVD, told apress conference in The Hague. He added that the OPCW’s security was not breached. 

The OPCW is carrying out forensic tests in the investigation into the poisoning of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on March 4. The Skripals were targeted with a nerve agent known as Novichok, developed in the former Soviet Union, but Moscow has denied any involvement. 

Eichelsheim said the four agents were operating out of a Citroen car parked outside the Marriott Hotel, which is next to the organisations headquarters on Johann de Wittlaan. They arrived in the country on April 10 on diplomatic passports with almost identical serial numbers. 

Close access

They were disrupted while an attempt was made at a ‘close access hack operation’ at around 4.30pm on Friday. Equipment found in the boot of the car included an antenna pointed at the OPCW building and digital devices used to intercept login details.

The car the Russians hired. Photo: Ministerie van defensie

Eichelsheim said the four Russians were ‘clearly not here on holiday’. They were carrying €20,000 and US $20,000 in cash, took their rubbish from their hotel room when they left and tried to destroy their mobile phones when they were intercepted. One of the phones had been activated close to the special services centre in Moscow. 

A further clue was the discovery of a taxi receipt from GRU headquarters to Moscow airport. 

The equipment the men surrendered also included a laptop computer which had apparently been used to infiltrate the Malaysian police and judicial authorities. Malaysia is involved in the investigation into the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, which the Netherlands holds Russia accountable for. 

Data found on the laptop also suggested it had been used in the Swiss city of Lausanne to hack into computers belonging to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which is investigating institutional drug use in Russian sport. 

International co-operation 

Defence minister Ank Bijleveld said the Dutch government was sending out a clear message to Moscow to stop undermining cybersecurity in other countries. The Russian ambassador to The Hague has been summoned to appear before foreign minister Stef Blok. 

‘The Dutch cabinet is very concerned that the OPCW was the target of an interception by the Russian military intelligence service,’ Bijleveld said. 

‘I am proud of the MIVD, they have done excellent work. I want to emphasise that co-operation has played a big part in this success. Co-operation in the Netherlands, but also with our international intelligence partners. Good international co-operation is crucial in tackling threats such as the GRU.’ 

The men with a Russian embassy official at Schiphol. 

In response, Moscow issued its customary blunt denial of all accusations of wrongdoing. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the allegations as ‘big fantasies’. 

Prime minister Mark Rutte issued a joint statement with his British counterpart Theresa May earlier in the day condemning Russia’s ‘disregard for global values.’ 

They said: ‘The GRU’s reckless operations stretch from destructive cyber activity to the use of illegal nerve agents, as we saw in Salisbury. That attack left four people fighting for their lives and one woman dead. 

‘Our action today reinforces the clear message from the international community. We will uphold the rules-based international system, and defend international institutions from those that seek to do them harm.’ 

US charges 

Major-general Eichelsheim said the government had taken the unusual step of releasing details of the operation after US officials published charges against a number of Russian intelligence agents on Thursday. The Dutch government hopes that making the information public will make it harder for Russia to carry out such covert operations in future. 

British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the incident was ‘part of a pattern of cyber-attacks’ in other countries in which the Russian government was implicated. 

He said: ‘If anyone had any questions in their mind about Russian military involvement in the Salisbury attacks, this will put to rest those doubts because we have evidence of the Russian military launching a cyber-attack on the very international organisation in the Netherlands set up to investigate those novichok attacks. And why would you do that if you weren’t the guilty party?’

#UPDATE The US Justice Department indicts seven agents of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency as part of a joint crackdown with Western allies on a series of major hacking plots attributed to Moscow https://t.co/aYWVlES6Zk

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 4, 2018