The US Department of Justice has charged seven Russian military intelligence officers with hacking anti-doping agencies and other organisations. An indictment announced in Washington on Thursday said Russia’s military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, targeted the hacking victims because they had publicly supported a ban on Russian athletes in international sports competitions and because they had condemned Russia’s state-sponsored athlete doping program. Prosecutors said the Russians also targeted a Pennsylvania-based nuclear energy company and an international organisation that was investigating chemical weapons in Syria and the poisoning of a former GRU officer.
