Russians charged for Skripal spy hack

US authorities have charged seven Russian military intelligence officers for hacking the organisation investigating the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and antidoping agencies.

The announcement by the US Justice Department comes after the British and Dutch authorities disclosed they had thwarted an attempt by Russia’s largest foreign intelligence agency, the GRU, to hack the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.

Assistant attorney general for national security John Demers said the individuals indicted in the US include some of the four GRU officers named by the UK and the Netherlands.

Three defendants had already been charged in an indictment brought in July.

Mr Demers said it was part of a Russian campaign to pursue its interests through “disinformation operations aimed at muddying or altering perceptions of the truth”.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt had earlier warned Moscow could face further sanctions following the release of “hard evidence” showing the GRU was behind cyber attacks.

Defence officials in the Netherlands, where OPCW is based, said four Russians had been expelled after the alleged cyber strike.