“On 13th April this year MIVD [Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service] carried out an operation to disrupt a GRU operation targeting the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, [in] the Hague,” Dutch defence minister Ank Bijleveld said at a joint press conference of the British and Dutch defence ministries.

Peter Wilson, the UK ambassador to the Netherlands, said the April 13 attack was attempted as the OPCW was working to verify the UK’s analysis of the substance used in the attack on the Skripals.



“This operation in the Hague by the GRU was not an isolated act,” he said. “The unit involved, known in the Russian military as Unit 26165, has sent officers around the world to conduct brazen close-access cyber operations.”

He said the GRU had operated under the hacker pseudonym “Sandworm” to carry out the attacks.



NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia to halt its “reckless” behaviour amid a series of global cyberattacks blamed on Moscow.



In a statement issued Thursday during a meeting of NATO defence ministers, Stoltenberg said NATO allies “stand in solidarity with the decision by the Dutch and British governments to call out Russia on its blatant attempts to undermine international law and institutions”.

“Russia must stop its reckless pattern of behaviour, including the use of force against its neighbours, attempted interference in election processes, and widespread disinformation campaigns,” he said.

The 29 allies are discussing cybersecurity at talks in Brussels, with the US, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands due to announce that they will provide offensive cyber capabilities for use by NATO.

The UK will discuss imposing further sanctions on Russia with its allies, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt announced.



“We will also be discussing how we need, working with our friends and allies, to counter this pattern of cyberattacks, which is a new type of attack that the whole world is having to deal with,” he said.

In a joint statement with Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, UK prime minister Theresa May said the attempted attacks demonstrated the GRU’s “disregard for the global values and rules that keep us all safe”.