Last month, Moscow faced bold accusations from several Western countries which claimed that Russian intelligence officers had carried out cyberattacks on WADA, the OPCW, USADA, a UK-based TV channel, and a Swiss lab that was analyzing a toxic substance allegedly used in the Skripal poisoning.
In early October, the US Justice Department charged seven alleged Russian military intelligence officials with hacking doping agencies and other international organizations.
According to the DOJ, they ostensibly targeted WADA, the OPCW, USADA, Westinghouse nuclear power company, which provides power to Ukraine, at least 250 athletes and sports figures from different countries, and a Canadian anti-doping agency, and a Swiss lab that was studying the substance allegedly used to poison former Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter in Salisbury in March.
This came shortly after Dutch Defense Minister Ank Biljeveld claimed that four Russians had been expelled from the Netherlands following their alleged attempt to hack the OPCW, the international chemical weapons watchdog. She also claimed that they were GRU operatives who purportedly had diplomatic passports; the Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations as “spy mania.”