Dutch defence minister has said Netherlands disrupted Russian hacking attack and expelled four Russian intelligence officers.

In April, authorities disrupted an attempt by Russian intelligence agents to hack the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld said at a press conference in the Hague.

Bijleveld called on Russia to cease its cyber activities aimed at “undermining” Western democracies.

“The Dutch government finds the involvement of these intelligence operatives extremely worrisome,” Bijleveld said.

“Normally we don’t reveal this type of counter-intelligence operation.”

This comes as Britain accused Kremlin spies of directing a host of cyber attacks aimed at undermining Western democracies by sowing confusion in everything from sport to transport and the 2016 US presidential election.

Britain’s Defence Minister Gavin Williamson said Moscow’s “reckless and indiscriminate” attacks left it isolated in the international community.

“This is not the actions of a great power, this is the actions of a pariah state and we’ll continue working with allies to isolate, make them understand they cannot continue to conduct themselves in such a way,” Williamson told reporters in Brussels.

Russia on Thursday rejected British accusations its spies were behind global cyber attacks, saying the allegations were unworthy and part of a disinformation campaign designed to damage Russian interests, the TASS news agency reported.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a news briefing that the accusations were the product of someone with a “rich imagination”.

“It’s some kind of a diabolical perfume cocktail [of allegations],” TASS quoted Zakharova as telling reporters.

“The vivid imagination of our colleagues from the UK has no boundaries indeed […] it’s undignified for the country, which pretends to play one of the leading roles in the world,” she said.

Al Jazeera’s Paul Brennan, speaking from London, said Thursday’s reaction is notable.

“Most if not all advanced intelligence agencies engage in hacking,” he said. “But it seems today that what we’re seeing is a coordinated campaign against Russia specifically because the activities that Russia has been engaging in go far beyond what in normal intelligence circles would be regarded as acceptable”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive to India on Thursday for a two-day visit during which Moscow is expected to ink weapons deal worth billions of dollars.

The Kremlin said before the two-day visit by Putin and top Russian ministers that the “key feature” would be the signing of a $5bn deal for the S-400 air defence system, despite the risk of US sanctions against countries buying Russian defence equipment.

On the eve of Putin’s arrival later on Thursday, the US poured cold water on India’s efforts to obtain a waiver to avoid sanctions under legislation called Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

The deal will also help reassure Russia because India-Russia ties have been fraying at the edges for the past several years

Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Journalist and security analyst

Upgrades in arms systems “including the S-400 air and missile defense system” would be a particular focus for CAATSA, a US State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying by India’s PTI news agency.

“The S-400 is attracting attention due to the US-Trump overhang. With the US’ domestic legislation discouraging countries like India from engaging in ‘significant’ trade with Russia, there is a high-visibility political sub-text about how this deal will impact the India-US bi-lateral,” said Commodore (retired) Uday Bhaskar, Director at Society for Policy Studies.

“The US response will be evident by November 5, when both the trade with Russia and the hydrocarbon imports from Iran will come to a tipping point. If the US decides to go ahead with its domestic legislation and invoke penalties/sanctions against Delhi, it would test the resilience of the India-US bi-lateral,” he said.

“This would potentially be an anomalous situation, wherein the US would place both India and China in the same ‘sanctions’ basket – unlikely bed-fellows indeed. Beijing will monitor this S-400 issue very closely and read the tea-leaves carefully for long-term strategic implications.”

Critical gaps in defence capabilities

Last month Washington slapped financial sanctionson the Chinese military for buying Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and the S-400.

f the US decides to go ahead with its domestic legislation and invoke penalties/sanctions against Delhi, it would test the resilience of the India-US bi-lateral

Commodore (retired) Uday Bhaskar, Director at Society for Policy Studies

However, the US is in a difficult position when it comes to India. It wants to bolster ties with New Delhi to counter China’s growing assertiveness, something that has also rattled India.

Washington and New Delhi announced plans last month for joint military drills in 2019, and agreed on the exchange of sensitive military information. The US is now India’s second biggest arms supplier.

But Russia remains number one, and a string of new deals with the Asian giant would be a major win for Moscow – and a big snub to the US.

Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who appear to enjoy a personal rapport, are also likely to discuss a deal for four Krivak-class frigates worth $2bn and 200 light utility Ka-226 helicopters pegged at $1bn.

Experts say India needs the sophisticated S-400 to fill critical gaps in its defence capabilities, in view of China’s rise and perceived threats from Pakistan, against whom India has fought three wars.

“India has been concerned about a possible two-front war in which it has to face some form of confrontation from Pakistan and China at the same time,” said Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, New Delhi-based foreign policy analyst and Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times newspaper.

“Also India’s Air Force’s strength has weakened owing to acquisition problems. India has been shopping around for sometime now for air-defence systems,” he told Al Jazeera. 

“The S-400 systems have not been battle-tested but technologically they are quite good, also relatively cheap. So the Russian S-400s are being seen as a good solution.

“The deal will also help reassure Russia because India-Russia ties have been fraying at the edges for the past several years,” he added.

Warm ties 

Putin, 65, and Modi, 68, are also set to discuss a possible second Russian-built nuclear power plant. Moscow is currently expanding India’s biggest nuclear power plant in Kudankulam.

Also on the agenda is Russian training for Indian astronauts as New Delhi aims to launch its first crewed space mission in 2022.

More than 20 agreements are expected to be signed during Putin’s visit in areas such as defence, space and economy.

But military relations would likely be the main focus.

India is the world’s biggest arms importer and is undergoing a $100bn upgrade of its ageing hardware, much of it of Soviet vintage including MiG jets that have frequently crashed in the Indian countryside.

Annual Russia-India trade has slipped below $10bn since 2014, as Modi cultivated closer diplomatic and economic ties with Washington, while Russia has courted Pakistan and China.

Ties received a boost last year when Modi and Putin held a fruitful annual bilateral summit, followed by meetings in Astana and at the G20 in Germany. They also met in Sochi this year.

On the strategic front, Russia helped India become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation this year and has backed New Delhi’s long-held demand for a permanent UN Security Council seat.

Zeenat Saberin contributed to this report from New Delhi

Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul insisted on Thursday that a missing Saudi dissident had left its premises before disappearing – directly contradicting comments by Turkish officials who say they believe he’s still inside.

The comments further deepen the mystery surrounding what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, who had been living in a self-imposed exile in the United States while writing columns critical of the kingdom and its policies under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi’s disappearance also threatened to further deteriorate relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which are on opposite sides of an ongoing four-nation boycott of Qatar and other regional crises.

In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the consulate did not challenge that Khashoggi, 59, disappeared while on a visit to the diplomatic post.

“The consulate confirmed that it is carrying out follow-up procedures and coordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building,” it said without elaborating.

The statement comes after a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters Wednesday night that authorities believed the journalist was still there.

“According to the information we have, this person who is a Saudi citizen is still at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul,” Ibrahim Kalin said. “We don’t have information to the contrary.”

Paperwork

On Tuesday, Khashoggi entered the consulate to get paperwork he needed in order to be married next week, said his fiancée Hatice, who gave only her first name for fear of retribution.

He gave her his mobile phones for safekeeping, a common occurence as many embassies routinely require that phones be left outside as a security precaution.

Hours later, Khashoggi hadn’t emerged and Hatice recounted how she called his friends in a panic.

“I don’t know what has happened to him. I can’t even guess how such a thing can happen to him,” she told The Associated Press.

“There is no law or lawsuit against him. He is not a suspect, he has not been convicted. There is nothing against him. He is just a man whose country doesn’t like his writings or his opinions.”

The Washington Post, which Khashoggi writes for, said it was “extremely concerned” about him.

“We have reached out to anyone we think might be able to help locate him and assure his safety, including US, Turkish and Saudi officials,” editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said in a statement.

Critical views

Khashoggi has written regular columns in the Washington Post criticising Saudi Arabia’s policies towards Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen, and a crackdown on dissent and the media and activists that has seen dozens detained.

“I have left my home, my family and my job, and I am raising my voice,” he wrote in September 2017. “To do otherwise would betray those who languish in prison. I can speak when so many cannot.”

Ali Shihabi, head of the Arabia Foundation in Washington, which regularly supports Saudi policy, expressed concern on Twitter about the reports.

“Jamal and I have not seen eye to eye on many issues but having him go missing like this is awful,” he said.

Khashoggi is a longtime Saudi journalist, foreign correspondent, editor and columnist whose work has been controversial in the past in the ultraconservative kingdom. He went into a self-imposed exile in the US following the ascension of Prince Mohammed, now next in line to the throne of his father, 82-year-old King Salman.

Khashoggi was known for his interviews and travels with Osama bin Laden between 1987 and 1995, including in Afghanistan, where he wrote about the battle against the Soviet occupation. In the early 1990s, he tried to persuade bin Laden to reconcile with the Saudi royal family and return home from his base in Sudan, but the al-Qaeda leader refused.