Russian spies targeted MH17 files, says Dutch Defence Minister

AUSTRALIA has condemned Russia for trying to undermine an investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 after it was revealed the country tried to hack files relating to the probe.

It comes as Dutch authorities revealed overnight they expelled four Russian spies after they were caught trying to hack into the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as it investigated the attempted poisoning of Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal in the UK in March.

It also comes a day after world leaders, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, condemned Moscow for several other malicious cyber attacks from 2015, 2016 and 2017.

In a statement this afternoon, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne condemned both attempted hacks after they were revealed by Dutch and UK authorities overnight.

Minister Payne said Russia’s actions in trying to hack the OPCW “undermine global integrity and trust” in a process which promoted and assured the global ban on chemical weapons’ use.

“Likewise, any actions intended to compromise or undermine the integrity of the Joint Investigation Team’s authorised and legitimate investigation into the destruction of Flight MH-17, which resulted in the death of all aboard the flight, are unacceptable,” she said.

“These attributions raise questions about Russia’s credibility in wanting to genuinely resolve the issues surrounding what happened to Flight MH-17.

“Australia joins other nations in calling on Russia to strongly affirm its commitment to acting as a reliable party to the investigation and subsequent resolution of the matter.”

The MH17 crash killed all 298 onboard the plane, including 38 Australians.

In a press conference at The Hague, Dutch authorities said they had caught the four Russians red-handed with spying equipment at the hotel next to the OPCW headquarters in The Hague in April.

At the time, the organisation was investigating the use of the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok on Sergei Skripal in the English town of Salisbury in March.

Dutch Major General Onno Eichelsheim, the head of the Netherlands’ military intelligence, said the four Russians were immediately expelled to Moscow.

The Dutch kept their equipment, including laptop computers, one of which showed attempts to access documents relating to the shooting down of MH17, with the loss of 298 lives.

Russia has been blamed by the international community for both the MH17 attack and for the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were both critically injured by the Novichok attack.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry rejected accusations of cybercrimes as “propaganda.”

The ministry dismissed the accusations as a sham, claiming their comments reflect “Western paranoia about the omnipotent Russian cyberspies.”

The discovery of the Russian spies will further alienate Russia from the West, which is furious about ongoing Russian aggression and widespread cyber-hacking.

The Dutch released photographs of the four Russians and said they were members of the GRU - Russian military intelligence -the same group believed responsible for the attack on Mr Skripal.

Dutch defence minister Ank Bijleveld said the four spies had been expelled from the Netherlands and the cyber-attack thwarted with the help of British intelligence officers.

The US Justice Department has now charged seven Russian intelligence officers with hacking anti-doping agencies and other organisations.

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the hacking accusations as a “fantasy”.

According to the BBC, the four suspects identified by Dutch officials were travelling on diplomatic passports and included an IT expert among their number.

They hired a car and were scouting to hack into the OPCW’s Wi-Fi network, the Dutch officials said.

Major General Eichelsheim said equipment in the rental car’s boot was pointed at the OPCW and was being “used to intercept login details.’’

The BBC also reported that the men attempted to destroy a mobile phone when they were caught.

One of their mobile phones was reportedly found to have been activated near the GRU building in Moscow.

Another of the men was found in possession of a receipt for a taxi journey from a street near the GRU to the airport.

- with Claire Bickers in Canberra