Russian Foreign Ministry to Summon Dutch Envoy Over Hacking Accusations - Source

Earlier, Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld stated that four Russian citizens had been expelled from the Netherlands in April on suspicion of an attempted cyberattack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The Russian Foreign Ministry will summon Dutch Ambassador to Russia Renee Jones-Bos on Monday in connection with the Netherlands' accusations against Moscow, a source from the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.

"The Dutch ambassador will be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday over the misinformation campaign launched by the Hague," the source said.

READ MORE: UK, Dutch Hacking Accusations Against Russia 'Coordinated Action' — Scholar

The Kremlin said on Monday that allegations made by the West of global hacking activities by Russia lacked real proof.

Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld said on Thursday that the Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands had been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in light of the Dutch allegations that four Russians had attempted to carry out a cyberattack on the OPCW.

The Russian Foreign Ministry refuted the claims and stressed that the "spy mania campaign" unleashed in the Netherlands was seriously hurting bilateral relations with Russia.

The ministry pointed out that the Netherlands made the statement ahead of the OPCW opening session, which could set up the "'necessary' political background" to push through some initiative.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the Netherlands "waited almost six months" to publish data on the expulsion of four Russian nationals from the country.