The Dutch Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the country's intelligence services had prevented Russia's cyberattack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th October, 2018) The Dutch Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the country's intelligence services had prevented Russia's cyberattack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld told a press conference that four Russian citizens suspected of the involvement in the incident had been expelled from the Netherlands on April 13, noting that the suspects had diplomatic passports.
"The 4 Russian intelligence officers entered the Netherlands via Schiphol Airport, travelling on diplomatic passports. They subsequently hired a car which they positioned in the parking lot of the Marriot Hotel in The Hague, which is adjacent to the OPCW offices. Equipment was set up in the boot of the car with which the officers intended to hack into wifi networks and which was installed for the purpose of infiltrating the OPCW's network. The antenna for this equipment lay hidden under a jacket on the rear shelf and the equipment was operational when DISS interrupted the operation," the Dutch Defense Ministry's statement read.
According to Dutch Maj. Gen. Onno Eichelsheim, the head of the Dutch Defence Intelligence and Security Service (DISS), their Names were: Aleksei Morenets, Evgenii Serebriakov, Oleg Sotnikov and Alexey Minin.
Eichelsheim noted that Sotnikov, who is one of the suspects, allegedly carried large amounts of cash on him, totaling to $20,000 and 20,000 Euros ($23,000).
"Further investigation revealed that one of the Russian intelligence officers operating in the Netherlands had also been active in Malaysia, targeting the investigation of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17," the ministry added.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte said in a joint statement on Thursday that the cyberattacks allegedly committed by Russian military intelligence service showed disregard for global values and rules.
A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that there were no such cyberattacks and there could not be any. The source pointed out that Russia had no need to hack the OPCW systems as it had access to all the information.
