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Dutch Government
The four alleged Russian agents went to the Netherlands with diplomatic passports in April
It is not difficult to find the place where a so-called Russian spy allegedly launched a cyber attack in The Hague.
Alexei Morenets kept the receipt of his taxi for the airport. At the indicated address, a young soldier in uniform keeps the entrance.
When I ask if this is a base for the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU – a hub of cyber warfare as claimed by western intelligence services – the soldier calls and tells me to leave the premises immediately . I do not hang out.
But the alleged agents of the GRU that have just been discovered in the Netherlands have left a trail of evidence online and on paper.
Of the four men caught trying to hack the chemical watchdog wifi network, the OPCW, the BBC found two Ministry of Defense buildings listed on official documents.
One of these documents is a vehicle registration database. Bellingcat's online investigation team later found 305 cars listed on the same military site.
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This suggests an extraordinary security breach for an alleged secret service.
"They could have used the address of their home, but they wanted privileges – not to pay fines for breaking the highway code," says Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Moscow Center. He calls this a symbol of "endemic corruption".
"If you really see the evidence [from Dutch intelligence]It does not matter whether you support Putin or not, you are simply embarrassed by incompetence, "he says.
As relations with the West collapsed, the Russian secret services intensified their activities. But GRU operations were exposed and failed most often.
"I do not think we should see them as the Keystone pillars of spyware," says Mark Galeotti, a long-time security analyst, referring to hateful fictional characters.
"The GRU has been extremely active, and some of these operations will inevitably fail.This does not mean that they are fools," he adds, suggesting that in the world of modern technology and cameras security, Russia agrees to keep this coverage. is difficult.
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FBI
The FBI has issued a "wanted" poster, naming seven suspected Russian agents
"Clearly, the advice they receive is, within limits, no matter.Do not worry too much about the consequences," said Galeotti.
This approach partly explains the errant taxi receipt.
"Our driver certainly wrote this receipt," Benjamin Shaginyan, the boss of the taxi company, told BBC. "He can not remember the exact journey as it was a long time ago, but it's authentic."
Some resorted to social media to make fun of the man who clung to such compromising evidence.
"Accounting for money on work trips is a nightmare!" a user said.
Under the direction of the Foreign Ministry, officials swept away the latest traditional style charges, called "spy mania".
They claim that coordinated allegations from Britain, the United States and the Netherlands reveal a "scene-driven" campaign against Russia.
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Reuters
The GRU is based in Moscow
This is also the line adopted by retired General Yevgeny Buzhinsky, even with four men caught red-handed in The Hague.
"You say that these are proofs, they are not proofs for me," he insists, particularly annoyed by the comments about the GRU's incompetence.
"It was believed that the Russian intelligence services were among the best in the world.Now you want to present a group of fools, absolutely incompetent, absolutely stupid, unprofessional? It's insulting," said Yevgeny Buzhinsky.
But some of the recently exposed men have a considerable online presence on the secret agents.
Two of them are listed as players of a Moscow amateur football league with their photographs. A member of the Radiks team said the club had already boasted of several members of the security services.
"It was like that at the beginning, but times are changing," I told Alexei Baklykov, saying that he had never met any of the suspects in person.
Another defendant, Artyom Malyshev, sold several articles online last year, including an old acoustic guitar and a smartphone.
Listed as "wanted" by the FBI this week for hacking, he also registered on a dating site with a profile photo winking at the camera and sports action scenes.
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AFP
The suspected Russian agents were arrested by the Dutch police on a parking lot near the offices of the OPCW
By appointing these men, Western officials hope to put an end to Russian attacks. But on a street market near Military Complex 26165 – the so-called Cyber Warrior Command Center – public reaction to the charges was mixed.
"I do not know who to believe in. It's confusing," said Valery in front of a stacked booth of golden honey pots.
"It's absurd," protested a woman. "Do you think our spies are idiots? I think they're wonderful."
Russia seems ready to face this shame storm – uncomfortable, perhaps, but unlikely to change tactics.
"Putin is not short of sleep, the question is whether it goes beyond embarrassing stories, to go to more sanctions," said Mark Galeotti.
"We are at war, and losing a battle does not mean you surrender, I think it's really what we see in the Kremlin," added Alexander Gabuev.
"Yes, we've been defeated in this battle, but we're going home, learning our lessons – then going on."
