The US has indicted seven Russian intelligence officers for conspiring to hack computers and steal data in a bid to delegitimise international anti-doping organisations. 

US Justice Department officials say three of the seven Russian military intelligence officials were previously charged by special counsel Robert Mueller.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis has called for Moscow to be held accountable for allegedly targeting the OPCW.

It comes just hours after the Netherlands said it had recently prevented a group of Russian military intelligence agents from carrying out a cyber attack on the world’s chemical weapons watchdog.

In a press conference on Thurday morning, the Dutch Minister of Defence Ank Bijleveld-Schouten said four Russian agents were expelled from the country on April 13th for allegedly spying on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Gathered members of the press were shown images of a rental vehicle that was found parked the OPCW headquarter in the Hague – full of computer equipment and transformers used in the alleged plot.

She said the alleged attack was directed by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.

It comes after the British government accused the agency of carrying out a series of cyber attacks around the world.

Om 12.00 uur houden wij een persconferentie met minister Bijleveld-Schouten en directeur van de Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (MIVD) generaal-majoor Onno Eichelsheim. Bekijk hier live de persconferentie: https://t.co/WD7W0fnRpA

— Ministerie van Defensie (@DefensieOnline) October 4, 2018

At the same press conference, Peter Wilson, Britain’s ambassador to the Netherlands, said the GRU poses a "real and multifaceted threat" to democracies around the world.

"Their pattern of behaviour is exemplified by the reckless attempted operation against the OPCW headquarters here in the Hague – brilliantly disrupted by the Dutch security services," he said.

"But its wider implications bear repeating.

"The GRU has interfered in free elections and pursued a hostile campaign of cyber attacks against state and civilian targets.

"The GRU is an aggressive, well-funded body of the Russian state.

"It can no longer be allowed to act aggressively across the world against vital international organisations with apparent impunity.”

Image: Dutch Ministry of Defence

The Dutch Ministry of Defence said the four alleged Russian agents arrived into the Netherlands on diplomatic passports.

It said they hired a rental car which they parked outside Marriot Hotel in The Hague, just across from the OPCW offices.

The boot of the car was filled with "specialised equipment" which Dutch authorities insist was to be used to hack into OPCW networks.

The equipment was "operational" when Dutch security services disrupted the alleged operation.

The ministry said it pre-empted the attack in order to "protect the security of the OPCW" and subsequently "escorted the Russian intelligence officers out of the country."

Image: Dutch Ministry of Defence

Minister Bijleveld-Schouten said it is extremely rare for the "findings of intelligence services brought to the attention of the public."

"The cabinet has, in this case, taken the deliberate step of exposing this operation and, by extension, the Russian intelligence officers involved in it, since this will hamper any further attempts by them to operate internationally," she said.

"The cyber operation targeting the OPCW is unacceptable.

"Our exposure of this Russian operation is intended as an unambiguous message that the Russian Federation must refrain from such actions.” 

Military Intelligence Agency

Earlier, the UK Foreign Office accused the Russian State of orchestrating a string of high profile attacks on international political institutions, businesses, media outlets and sporting agencies.

It is the first time the UK has directly accused the Russian State of orchestrating global cyber attacks.

Referencing the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March, Ambassador Wilson said GRU agents "do not just attempt to compromise our computer systems from their barracks in Moscow."

"As we have shown today, they have operated on the streets of the Netherlands to target the OPCW," he said.

"They traveled across the world under diplomatic cover to target the MH17 investigation and a WADA conference.

"And, they operated in a quiet British city to apply a banned nerve agent to a door handle.”

London has insisted the GRU was behind the nerve agent attack in the British town – however the Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.

The Headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague

"Crude disinformation"

Rhe Russian Embassy in London said the allegations were "reckless" and that the UK was imparting "crude disinformation."

"It has become a tradition for such claims to lack any evidence," it said.

"It is yet another element of the anti-Russian campaign by the UK government."

It said the Kremlin had already offered to join a range of "expert consultations on cybersecurity" with the UK to address its concerns – but has been turned down.

"Thus, such statements by the Foreign Office are nothing but crude disinformation, aimed at confusing the British and world public opinion," it said.

Russia's foreign Affairs Ministry in Moscow

"Global values"

In a joint statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the allegations had further shone a light on the unacceptable cyber activities of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU.

"This attempt, to access the secure systems of an international organisation working to rid the world of chemical weapons, demonstrates again the GRU's disregard for the global values and rules that keep us all safe," they said.

"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."

Joint statement by Prime Minister @Theresa_May and Prime Minister Rutte on cyber activities of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU: https://t.co/2IdrQjkRn7

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) October 4, 2018

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt described the alleged global attacks as "reckless and indiscriminate" insisting that they "serve no legitimate national security interest."

"They try to undermine and interfere in elections in other countries – they are even prepared to damage Russian companies and Russian citizens," he said.

"This pattern of behaviour demonstrates their desire to operate without regard to international law or established norms and to do so with a feeling of impunity and without consequences.

"Our message is clear: together with our allies, we will expose and respond to the GRU’s attempts to undermine international stability."

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt at the Conservative Party annual conference, 30-09-2018. Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/PA Images

The UK said the attacks aim to destabilise democracies and target businesses – and "have cost national economies millions of pounds."

It claimed the Kremlin was behind:

• An October 2017 attack that caused disruption including to the Kyiv metro, Odessa airport, Russia’s central bank and two Russian media outlets.
• The August 2017 hacking and publication of confidential athlete medical files from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
• The 2016 hacking and leaking of thousands of emails from the US Democratic National Committee (DNC).
• The hacking and stealing of multiple email accounts belonging to UK-based TV station in 2015.
• A June 2017 cyber attack targeting the Ukrainian financial, energy and government sectors.
• The October 2017 infection of thousands of homes and small businesses with VPNFILTER malware – allowing attackers control people’s devices.

The 2016 attack on the DNC led to the publication of thousands of emails and the controversy over presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

US security officials have already blamed the GRU for this attack, linked to a hacking group called Fancy Bear.