Swiss ambassador Yves Rossier and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in March 2017
Keystone
Yves Rossier, Switzerland’s ambassador to Moscow, has been summoned by the Russian foreign ministry for an explanation over “unfounded accusations” that Russian spies tried to hack a Swiss laboratory related to the Skripal case as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Rossier was told that such “confrontational rhetoric” could damage his country’s relations with Russia, the Russian foreign ministry said. The Dutch ambassador was also summoned, concerning a “campaign to fan the obsession with spying”.
On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis said the level of espionage being conducted by Russia was “beyond the usual level of activity”, and that he would discuss the issue with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov next week.
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Russian spying ‘beyond normal levels’, says Swiss foreign minister
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Following reports about Russian spying in Switzerland, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said he will raise the issue with Sergey Lavrov.
In recent weeks, Cassis confirmed, the Swiss foreign affairs ministry had refused to grant accreditation to several Russian diplomats. Reports over the weekend claimed that every fourth Russian diplomat in Switzerland was a spy.
The ministry also said it had summoned the Russian ambassador on Sunday to demand an “immediate end to spy activities on Swiss territory”. The Russian embassy has dismissed the allegations.
Citing unnamed sources, Swiss and Dutch papers said the suspected agents were on route for the Spiez laboratory near Bern, which analyses chemical and biological weapons, including the nerve agent Novichok, the same that Britain says Russia used to try to murder former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in March.
The two Russian agents were arrested in the Netherlands and deported to Russia, Dutch sources said.
They are also suspected of an attempted cyberattack against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Lausanne, a Swiss official source said on Saturday. WADA suspended the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in 2015 in connection with the scandal of the state doping system discovered in Russia.
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Swiss probe Russians over alleged World Anti-Doping Agency hack
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Swiss prosecutors are investigating whether Russian agents tried to hack the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Swiss investigate four people linked to Russian oligarch
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The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is investigating four individuals linked to Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov.
Swiss government scrambles to deal with egg shortage
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From September 1, more eggs intended for consumption may be imported into Switzerland. In allowing this, the government wants to secure the supply of eggs for consumers.
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Agricultural research sees new development opportunities for Swiss sparkling wines in the face of declining wine consumption. In a survey, half of consumers expressed a willingness to pay more for local products than for foreign ones.
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Russian agents ‘tried to spy on Swiss chemicals lab’
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Media report: two Russian agents suspected of trying to spy on a Swiss laboratory were arrested in the Netherlands and expelled early this year.
Salisbury nerve attackers reportedly had Swiss connection
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Two Russian suspects in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter reportedly travelled to Geneva at least six times just before the attack.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says a Swiss laboratory has found that the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain could be a substance never produced in the Soviet Union or Russia. The Swiss lab has declined to comment on Lavrov’s claims.
Switzerland strongly condemns UK ‘Novichok’ nerve gas attack
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The fact that the so-called “Novichok” nerve gas was used for the first time is of particular concern, the spokeswoman said. She added that the incident was all the more worrying as it follows a series of similar violations of international law in recent years. According to her, Switzerland reiterates that it is essential for…
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