In early 2018, the Czech counterintelligence service, BIS, disrupted a Russian espionage cell operating within Czech borders under the cover of two private IT companies. The group included dozens of Russian intelligence officers, some of whom had received Czech citizenship, and had launched hacking attacks from the computers of the IT companies they ostensibly worked for. According to the Czech outlet Respekt, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs transported group members into the Czech Republic under diplomatic cover. Sources tell Respekt that many more spy rings, similar to the hacking group targeted by the BIS, operate within EU countries.   The purpose and targets of the Czech operation remain unclear.