EU condemns Russia for cyber attacks by its military

The EU has condemned Russia after several cyber attacks across the globe have been linked to the Russian military intelligence service, GRU.

In a joint statement released on Thursday, European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and the EU’s High Representative Federica Mogherini condemned Russia for carrying out the cyber attacks.

The UK directly accused the GRU of carrying out cyber attacks that included cyber operations that caused chaos on the Kiev metro and Odessa airport last year.

The latest revelation came from the Dutch authorities that blamed Russia for a cyber attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international watchdog, based in the Netherlands. 

The cyber attack in April on the OPCW offices in The Hague were disrupted by Dutch intelligence in partnership with the UK, leading to the expulsion of Russian spies from the country.

The US has made similar accusations against Russia for conducting cyber attacks.

The EU described these acts as an “aggressive act [that] demonstrated contempt for the solemn purpose of the OPCW, which works to eradicate weapons worldwide under a UN mandate.”

The EU officials said that they deplored such actions that undermined international law and international institutions. “The EU will continue to strengthen the resilience of its institutions and those of its member states, and international partners and organisations in the digital domain,” the statement said.