U.S. Justice Department Indicts Seven Russian Intelligence Officers

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted seven Russian intelligence officers for their involvement in a conspiracy to carry out a series of cyberattacks, including against a nuclear energy company. According to Reuters, the Justice Department announced on Thursday, October 4, that these individuals had been plotting for a long time to hack into computers and steal data from several entities, including 'Westinghouse Electric,' which operates in the nuclear energy sector, anti-doping centers, sports federations, and an international agency specializing in chemical weapons research. The Justice Department stated that one of these intelligence officers had investigated 'Westinghouse' and its employees, stealing login information from some of them. One of the employees whose information was stolen works on the development of an advanced nuclear reactor and the technology units of a new reactor. The FBI has released images of these seven Russian intelligence officers. The 'Westinghouse' company is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It provides fuel and services to its clients, including Ukraine, and is also active in the construction of nuclear power plants. Prosecutors in this case also say that all seven defendants, who are members of the Russian military intelligence service, launched a retaliatory campaign following the Russian doping scandal. The World Anti-Doping Agency announced in the summer of 2016 that Russian government entities had supported doping among athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Prosecutors stated on Thursday that these seven targeted the World Anti-Doping Agency, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and FIFA, while also stealing and publicly releasing medical information of several athletes. The indictment against these seven comes on the same day that Britain accused the Russian military intelligence agency of carrying out cyberattacks over the years. Meanwhile, the Netherlands announced on Thursday that it had expelled four Russian spies involved in cyberattacks, including against a chemical weapons laboratory in Switzerland, back in April. The names of the four expelled by the Netherlands, along with three others, are also mentioned in the indictment by U.S. prosecutors. U.S. prosecutors say all seven defendants were involved in a cyberattack against this nuclear weapons laboratory, which was examining samples of chemical attacks in Syria and the poisoning of a Russian double agent. According to Reuters, three of the seven intelligence officers indicted in the U.S. have also been implicated by Robert Mueller, the special counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice, in the case of Russian interference in the U.S. elections. Prosecutors suspect that all seven defendants reside in Russia. The indictment also adds that these defendants sometimes traveled to carry out their operations, using diplomatic passports on some of these trips.