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☆ U.S. lawmakers ask for documents on Russian hackers targeting nuclear labs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Russian hacking underground newsletter is seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022 REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are calling for the Department of Energy to release documents detailing the targeting of American nuclear laboratories by Russian hackers last year. The Department of Energy - which is responsible for America's nuclear labs - said it had "not found any evidence of information being compromised." Moscow has previously criticized the Reuters report, calling it anti-Russian propaganda. Cold River, the Russian hacking group blamed for the intrusion efforts, has drawn increasing attention amid the conflict in Ukraine. Reporting by Raphael Satter in Washington; Additional reporting by James Pearson in London; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labeling the Russian mercenary company fighting in Ukraine as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury Department, as part of action targeting dozens of people and entities in an effort to degrade Russia's ability to wage the war, said it designated Wagner Group as a "significant transnational criminal organization" on Thursday. It had previously designated Wagner under its Russia and Ukraine sanctions programs. "These images were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine," Treasury said. He said the United States assesses Wagner has about 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons.

☆ Russian embassy accidentally shares map ignoring Putin's bogus land claims in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's embassy in Sweden tweeted a map that went against Putin's territorial claims in Ukraine. Putin claims a number of Ukrainian regions as part of Russia. Though Putin claims these regions as part of Russia, the territories are not fully controlled or occupied by Russian forces. The map shared by Russia's embassy in Sweden, which claimed to show gas prices in Europe, did not depict these regions as Russian territory. The Russian embassy in Sweden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ Russia criticises Reuters story on Russian hackers targeting U.S. nuclear scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday criticised Reuters for spreading what it said was poorly sourced anti-Russian propaganda with a story about a Russian hacking team which targeted three nuclear research laboratories. Reuters on Jan. 6 reported the Russian hacking team, known as Cold River, had targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. "The latest pseudo investigation was unfortunately published by Reuters news agency," Maria Zakharova, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told reporters. A Reuters spokesperson said: "We stand by our reporting, which was fair, accurate and in keeping with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles." Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies since the invasion of Ukraine, according to cybersecurity researchers and western government officials. 'INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION'In May, Cold River broke into and leaked emails belonging to the former head of Britain's MI6 spy service. Reuters was unable independently to confirm why Cold River targeted the NGOs. "Google has tied this individual to the Russian hacking group Cold River and their early operations," he said.

☆ Kremlin: U.S. Patriot systems in Ukraine would be legitimate target
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that U.S. Patriot missile defence systems would be a legitimate target for Russian strikes against Ukraine, should the United States authorise them to be delivered to support Kyiv. Washington is finalising plans to send the Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine, a decision that could be announced as soon as this week, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday. The Patriot is considered to be one of the most advanced U.S. air defence systems, including against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. "It is the United States that is responsible for the prolongation and escalation of the Ukrainian conflict." For the United States, this has included NASAMS air defence systems that the Pentagon says have flawlessly intercepted Russian missiles in Ukraine.

☆ U.S. bars Russian diplomats from Soviet graves on Alaska base - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 11 (Reuters) - U.S. officials barred Russian diplomats from visiting the graves of Soviet servicemen at a cemetery on a military base in Alaska, Russian state agency TASS said on Sunday. Russia's embassy in Washington said on the Telegram messaging app late on Saturday that a group of Russian diplomats had visited Anchorage on Friday and Saturday. "Attempts to obtain access to the memorials through the State Department were unsuccessful, the diplomatic note of the (Russian) embassy in this regard was ignored." Russian diplomats have visited the cemetery in the past, the embassy said on Twitter. Nine Soviet pilots and two other military personnel are buried at the cemetery, TASS said.

☆ Tankers seen heading to Russia as oil price cap goes into effect on exports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Two tankers were heading to Russia on Monday expecting to be filled with Russian crude as a price cap on its oil exports from a coalition of Western countries went into affect. On Friday, the European Union agreed to cap Russian seaborne oil prices at $60 a barrel, aiming to limit Moscow's revenues and curb its ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and high-ranking Kremlin officials have repeatedly said that they will not supply oil to countries that implement the price cap. But while Russia is moving forward on its vow to not sell its oil to countries that implement the price cap, it is not being deterred in finding buyers for its oil. The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it has to be sold for less than the price cap.

☆ Russia: price cap is 'dangerous' and will not curb demand for our oil
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it would continue to find buyers for its oil, despite what it said was a "dangerous" attempt by Western governments to introduce a price cap on its oil exports. A coalition of Western countries led by the G7 group of nations agreed on Friday to cap the price of Russian seaborne oil at $60 a barrel, as they aim to limit Moscow's revenues and curb its ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and high-ranking Kremlin officials have repeatedly said that they will not supply oil to countries that implement the price cap. "Regardless of the current flirtations with the dangerous and illegitimate instrument, we are confident that Russian oil will continue to be in demand." The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap.

Reuters is the first to report on the use of the deconfliction line, beyond regular testing. SEVERAL WAYS TO COMMUNICATEThe deconfliction line is just one of several ways the U.S. and Russia militaries still have to communicate. Other military channels include rare high-level talks between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained such hot lines at different levels. Vershbow drew a comparison to the far more active deconfliction line for Syria, where U.S. and Russian military forces sometimes operate in the same airspace or terrain.

☆ U.S. targets supply of Iranian drones to Russia in new sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United States is seeking to increase pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, which has reduced cities to rubble and killed or wounded thousands. Russia has procured drones from Iran that have been used to attack cities and power infrastructure in Ukraine. Iranian military entities and industries are already under heavy U.S. sanctions over Tehran's nuclear development program. Iran has acknowledged that it had supplied Moscow with drones but said they were sent before the war in Ukraine. Treasury also targeted Abbas Djuma and Tigran Khristoforovich Srabionov, accusing the two of being involved in the Wagner group's acquisition of Iranian drones to support combat operations in Ukraine.

☆ Australian police blame Russia-based hackers for attack on Medibank
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Russia-based hackers were behind the cyberattack on insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), which compromised the details of just under 10 million current and former customers, Australian Federal Police said on Friday. Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw blamed a loosely-affiliated group of cyber criminals likely responsible for other big breaches around the world for the attack on Medibank. Kershaw said the AFP knows which individuals are responsible but will not be naming them at this moment. Russia's embassy did not immediately respond to questions asking whether it had been in communication with the Australian government over the hack. Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano's new ad uses same stock footage as Russian propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ad posted by the Doug Mastriano campaign uses footage previously featured in Russian propaganda. The stock footage of two young girls appears to have come from a videographer in Belarus. In July, a Russian embassy used the footage in an ad encouraging people to move to Russia. Twitter/Russian Embassy in SpainIt is not the first time that the campaign appears to have used stock footage from the site. The allure of stock footage — especially, of course, the free variety — is money.

Russia intends to call a United Nations Security Council meeting over damage to the gas pipelines, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram. In the Baltic Sea, gas was still bubbling from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the Swedish Coast Guard said in an email. "There are good teams in place to handle pipeline accidents, there are emergency pipe inventories and experts for onshore and offshore," Jens Schumann, managing director of gas pipeline grid company Gasunie Deutschland, said. European gas prices rose following news of the leaks. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

"Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response," Borrell said. A statement issued by Russia's embassy in Denmark said that any sabotage on Nord Stream's pipelines was an attack on both Russia's and Europe's energy security. Map of Nord Stream pipelines and locations of reported leaksGAS FLOWSOperator Nord Stream has called the damage "unprecedented", while Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the Russian-controlled company with a monopoly on its gas exports by pipeline, declined to comment. Russia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

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