The move surprised many observers including Edward Snowden who called it a “plot twist” while others think it is a move by Wikileaks to become relevant after losing all its mojo helping President Putin destabilise the US by helping to get Donald (Prince of Orange) Trump elected.

WikiLeaks released documents linking a Russian tech company with access to thousands of citizens' telephone and internet communications with Moscow.

WikiLeaks claims the documents show how a long-established Russian company which supplies software to telcos is also installing infrastructure, under state mandate, that enables Russian state agencies to tap into, search and spy on citizens' digital activity,

If it all pans out this would suggest Putin is operating a state-funded mass surveillance programme similar to the one used by the US's NSA or by GCHQ in the UK.

The documents which WikiLeaks er leaked, relate to a St. Petersburg-based company called Peter-Service, which it claims is a contractor for Russian state surveillance. The company was set up in 1992 to provide billing solutions before going on to become a major supplier of software to the mobile telecoms industry.

 It might be that this month's cheque did not clear. Still it could be a start and we might see WikiLeaks start promoting open government rather than Julian Assange.