Bern Suspects Alleged 'Russian Spies' of Staging Cyberattacks on WADA – Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Swiss prosecutors believe that the Russian citizens, who were deported from the Netherlands over suspicions of espionage, could have been involved in cyberattacks on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), according to media reports.

On Thursday, Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported that earlier this year two Russian nationals have been arrested in the Netherlands on spying charges and then deported. The media alleged that the suspects had tried to spy on the Spiez laboratory near Bern, engaged in nuclear, biological and chemical research, but their plot was foiled by the joint work of Swiss, Dutch and the UK intelligence.

According to the NRC Handelsblad newspaper, the prosecution of the Swiss capital of Bern confirmed that the country’s intelligence took part in the operation to detect “Russian spies.” The investigation was reportedly launched in March 2017. The prosecution also reportedly believes that the Russians were involved in staging cyberattacks on WADA.

On Friday, the Russian Embassy in Switzerland called media reports on alleged Russian spies caught and deported from the Netherlands "absurd” and described them as “another attempt to fuel Russophobic sentiments."

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed doubt that the European intelligence operation on the alleged detention of Russian spies could have remained unnoticed by media and added that the Russian side can comment on the situation only after it is given facts.