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☆ China spy agency’s social media debut calls for ‘all members of society’ to combat espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Ministry of State Security oversees intelligence and counterintelligence both within China and overseas. Titled “Countering espionage requires the mobilization of all members of society,” the ministry said national security bodies should keep reporting channels, such as hotlines and online platforms, open to handle reports of suspected espionage within China in a timely manner. But those efforts have gathered pace under Xi Jinping, China’s most assertive and authoritarian leader in a generation who has made state security his top priority. Previous anti-spying driveThere have been multiple previous calls by China for the public to look for potential spies. In June last year, China announced “material rewards” of up to and above 100,000 yuan ($15,000) for tip-offs about people who endanger national security.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Xiao Li, Li –, David Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, of State Security, CIA, FBI, Group, Bain & Company, Astellas Pharma, Getty Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, American, Shanghai, Japan, AFP

☆ FBI Director Christopher Wray, who is a Republican, says it's 'somewhat insane' to suggest he's biased against conservatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed exasperation that House Republicans would think he's biased against conservatives. A more sympathetic GOP lawmaker expressed hope that Wray wouldn't leave the party after a contentious hearing. Wray also began to snap back, at one point expressing shock that anyone would suggest he's biased against conservatives. The onslaught led Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican, to quip that he hoped Wray wouldn't leave the party. The reception illustrates the fury many conservatives hold for the FBI and Wray.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Wray, Wray wouldn't, Joe Biden's, Matt Gaetz, Edgar Hoover, Harriet Hageman, Ken Buck, Buck, Donald Trump, Chris Christie's, General Michael Horowitz, John Durham's, Ron DeSantis, wouldn't, CNN's Jake Tapper Organizations: Republican, Service, Republicans, Florida Republican, Wyoming Republican, Colorado Republican, FBI, Justice Department, New, New Jersey Gov, Florida Gov, CNN, GOP, The Colorado Republican Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Wyoming, Colorado, New Jersey, United States

The Polish diplomat, who declined to be identified citing security concerns, confirmed the role of his advertisement in the digital intrusion. In 2021, U.S. and British intelligence agencies identified APT29 as an arm of Russia's foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR. "Diplomatic missions will always be a high-value espionage target," the Unit 42 report said. That software, Unit 42 said, was disguised as an album of photographs of the used BMW. As for the car, it was still available, the Polish diplomat told Reuters:"I'll try to sell it in Poland, probably," he said.

Persons: James Pearson, Conor Humphries Organizations: Palo Alto Networks, Reuters, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BMW, Intelligence Service, SVR, NATO, European Union, Unit, U.S . State Department, Technology, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukraine's, Kyiv, Polish, Africa, U.S, Poland

Persons: James Pearson, Conor Humphries Organizations: Reuters, Palo Alto Networks, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BMW, Intelligence Service, SVR, NATO, European Union, Unit, U.S . State Department, Technology, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukraine's, Kyiv, Polish, Africa, U.S, Poland

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal that Elon Musk uses ketamine at parties could prompt an investigation into his security clearance, two attorneys who specialize in national security law told Insider. Drug use is typically grounds for the government to yank someone's security clearance, the two national security attorneys told Insider. Security clearance applicants are specifically required to disclose whether they have used ketamine on SF-86, the standard application form used to apply for a clearance. Edmunds, the security clearance attorney, said that in his experience, there is a "very prevalent" double standard for security clearance infractions, wherein defense contracting executives and higher-ranking government officials receive more permissive treatment than their subordinates. Musk boosts the benefits of drug useAfter the Rogan incident, Musk told "60 Minutes" that he didn't regularly smoke pot.

Persons: Elon, Joe Rogan's, Musk, yank, Dan Meyer, Tully, Alan Edmunds, Meyer, Doug Hurley, Bob Behnken, Joe Burbank, SpaceX's, Spirit AeroSystems, Leonardo, Edmunds, Mark Zaid, Marijuana, Rogan, It's, Tesla, Sam Altman Organizations: Street, NASA, Air Force, Elon, SpaceX, Tesla, The Defense Department, Bloomberg, CNBC, National Reconnaissance Office, Space Force, Kennedy Space Center, Orlando Sentinel, Tribune, Service, Getty, Defense Department, National Intelligence, Defense Counterintelligence, Security Agency, Spirit, Terran, FDA, Washington Post, Politico, New York Times, Twitter Locations: Florida, United States

☆ A little-known Russian spy agency left feces in the suitcases of diplomats as its calling card, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A mysterious Russian spy agency left unsettling calling cards for US targets, the Journal reported. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The Russian Department for Counterintelligence Operations, or DKRO, is a secretive organization that operates under the FSB, Russia's security agency. They know us extremely well," Dan Hoffman, a former Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Moscow, told the Journal. American officials told the Wall Street Journal the DKRO was likely behind the arrest of Gershkovich, who has now been imprisoned in Russia for more than 100 days.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, They've, Dan Hoffman, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Trevor Reed, Whelan, Reed Organizations: Service, Wall Street Journal, Russian Department for Counterintelligence Operations, Central Intelligence Agency, Wall Street, Journal, American Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, American, America, Moscow, Russia

Lithuania is the only one of the three states to have a land link to a fellow NATO ally, Poland. The three Baltic states have also attracted journalists who have fled Russia. DEFENCESpurred by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the three Baltic states sharply increased military spending. According to NATO estimates for 2022, all three exceeded the NATO agreement to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defence. Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states have requested the forces deployed are beefed up to 3,000-5,000 troops in each state.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Boris Pistorius, Andrius Sytas, Edmund Blair Organizations: NATO, RAND Corporation, European Union, Corruption, German, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Lithuania, Baltic, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Soviet Union, Siberia, Soviet, Russia, Belarus, NATO, Poland, Russia's Kaliningrad, Estonian, U.S, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, United States, West, Moscow, Vilnius, Russian, Crimea, Germany, Britain, Canada, British

☆ US warns new Chinese counterespionage law puts companies at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. on Friday warned about a new Chinese counter-espionage law, saying American and other foreign companies in the country could face penalties from Chinese authorities for regular business activities. Chinese lawmakers this year passed a wide-ranging update to Beijing's anti-espionage legislation that goes into effect on July 1, banning the transfer of any information related to national security and broadening the definition of spying. It said the ambiguities of the law meant that "any documents, data, materials or items" could be deemed relevant to Chinese national security, also putting journalists, academics and researchers at risk. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has emphasized national security since taking office in 2012. U.S. officials have told Reuters that since the enactment of the Chinese law in April they have received a flood of questions from businesses and other groups about the risks of traveling to China.

Persons: Xi Jinping, China Nicholas Burns, Michael Martina, Chizu Organizations: U.S . National Counterintelligence and Security, People's, U.S, China, U.S ., Reuters, The U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, People's Republic of China, Beijing, Washington, The

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ SolarWinds chief vows to fight any legal action from US regulators over alleged Russian hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has informed current and former SolarWinds executives that it intends to recommend “civil enforcement action” alleging the company broke federal securities laws in its public statements and “internal controls” related to the hack, SolarWinds said in a filing with regulators on Friday. The SEC notice is an indication that US regulators are moving closer to bringing a civil lawsuit against SolarWinds that could result in fines or other penalties. For several months in 2020, hackers used software made by SolarWinds and other technology firms to burrow into US government agencies and corporate victims in an apparent spying campaign. After the hack became public, US lawmakers demanded answers from federal cybersecurity officials on why the hackers were undetected for so long, as well as criticized SolarWinds for its security practices prior to the hack. But SolarWinds says it has instituted numerous security reforms in the years since the hack, and has pushed that message of reform in public appearance with federal officials.

Persons: SolarWinds, –, Biden, “, ”, Sudhakar Ramakrishna, SolarWinds “, ” Ramakrishna Organizations: CNN, US Securities and Exchange, Justice, Homeland Security, SEC Locations: Russian, ” Austin , Texas, Moscow

☆ Inside China's spy war on American corporations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Top intelligence and law enforcement officials in Washington are issuing a stark warning to American companies: The Chinese government wants to replace you. Asked whether the Chinese government wants to compete with or eliminate American companies, FBI Director Christopher Wray told CNBC: "Well, their definition of competing, I think, involves embracing the idea of eliminating." The paid-in foreign investment reached 127.69 billion yuan, up 14.5% year on year. Foreign companies including US investors have been upbeat about the China market and plan to expand in China. Former GE engineer David Zheng and GE Aerospace also declined to comment.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Sen, Marco Rubio, Rubio, Mark Warner, …, Warner, Xu Yanjun, Xu, James Olson, Xu Yanjun's, David Zheng, – CNBC's Katherine Liu, Bria Cousins, Laura Measher, Wally Griffith Organizations: CNBC, American, Democrat, World Trade, Ministry of State Security, GE, Boeing, Honeywell, GE Aviation, FBI, CIA, American Chamber of Commerce, Business Environment, US Department of Commerce, GE Aerospace Locations: Washington, America, U.S, China, Nanjing, Cincinnati, South China, reinvest

☆ Amid US-China rivalry, a landmark science deal faces new scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"Extending the Science and Technology Agreement between the U.S. and China would only further jeopardize our research and intellectual property," said Representative Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of a congressional select committee on China. "The administration must let this outdated agreement expire." "It is hoped that the U.S. side will expedite the internal review before the expiration of the agreement," he said. Given the state of U.S.-China ties, trying to renegotiate could derail the agreement, they said. Proponents of renewing the deal argue that without it, the U.S. would lose valuable insight into China's technical advances.

Persons: Florence Lo, Antony Blinken, Mike Gallagher, Liu Pengyu, Joe Biden, Kurt Campbell, Denis Simon, Anna Puglisi, Michael Martina, Don Durfee, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, ., China Science, Technology, Science, U.S, State Department, National Security Council, Hudson Institute, University of North, Chapel Hill, Georgetown University's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, United States, Beijing, Washington, Pacific, University of North Carolina, East Asia

☆ As China's intelligence capabilities grow, spying becomes an increasing flashpoint in ties with US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

They underscore how intelligence gathering – an activity meant to go on without detection, out of the public eye – is becoming an increasingly prominent flashpoint in the US-China relationship. That pushes intelligence gathering itself to become “another factor that is complicating US-China relations,” he said. That’s especially the case, experts say, as China continues to expand its own intelligence gathering capabilities – catching up in an area where the US has traditionally had an edge. Other arms of the Communist Party apparatus also play a role in activities beyond conventional intelligence gathering, experts say. Heightened concern and awareness about Chinese intelligence gathering – or the potential for it – has exploded in the US in recent years.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Bill Burns, ”, Lyle Morris, Christopher Johnson, “, there’s, they’ve, Johnson, Xi Jinping, That’s, Xuezhi Guo, Guo, Xi, Hector Retamal, –, TikTok –, Edward Snowden, ’, Shou Zi Chew, Jabin, John Delury, John T, Downey, Delury Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, US, White House, CIA, CNN, Asia Society, Center for, Central Intelligence Agency, China, Group, U.S . Navy, AP, Guilford College, People’s Liberation Army, Ministry of State Security, Communist Party, Federal Bureau of Intelligence, The New York Times, Huawei, TikTok, Tiktok, US Justice Department, China Initiative, Center for Strategic, International Studies, National Security Agency, US Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, China ”, Energy, Commerce, Capitol, Washington Post, Subversion Locations: Hong Kong, United States, China, Beijing, American, Cuba, US, Center for China, South, Russia, AFP, Washington, USA, South China, Washington , DC

During his arraignment, Mr. Trump is expected to be advised of his rights, and a judge will assess whether he has legal representation. The case against Mr. Trump is the second criminal prosecution against the former president this year. Mr. Trump was already arraigned in April in a New York courthouse on state charges that he falsified business records. In the case that has brought him to Miami, Mr. Trump has been charged with 37 counts of unauthorized retention of national security information. After the court appearance, Mr. Trump is expected to fly to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., to give remarks defending himself in the evening.

Persons: Wilkie, Ferguson Jr, Donald J, Trump, Francis X, Suarez, Mr, We’re, James, John Rowley —, Todd Blanche, Christopher M, Jay I, Bratt, Julie Edelstein, Manny Morales, Morales, “, ”, that’s, ” Adam Goldman, Alan Feuer, Charlie Savage Organizations: Mr, Trump, Suarez of Miami, Republican, United States Supreme, Justice Department’s, Trump National Golf Club, Capitol, Miami police Locations: Miami, United States, New York, Florida, Bedminster, N.J, MIAMI

Miami CNN —Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents. During the hearing, Trump sat hunched over with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The criminal charges in the Justice Department’s classified documents case escalates the legal jeopardy surrounding the 2024 GOP front-runner. What Tuesday’s hearing is aboutAttorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kise represented Trump in court for the arraignment. The new charges in the DOJ documents case are drastically more serious and present the possibility of several years in prison if Trump is ultimately convicted.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Todd Blanche, Trump, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Jonathan Goodman, Nauta, David Harbach, ” Goodman, “, Department’s, Jack Smith, Justice Department’s, Aileen Cannon –, Lago, –, Chris Kise, Alina Habba, ” Habba, ”, Jay Bratt, Harbach, Julie Edelstein, David Aaron, Perkins, Cannon, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Kel McClanahan Organizations: Miami CNN, Justice Department, Trump, Justice, Doral, Mar, DOJ, “, West Palm Beach, DOJ National Security Division, University of Minnesota, Circuit, George Washington University Law School, CNN Locations: Miami, New York, Ft . Pierce , Florida, West Palm

☆ Prosecuting Florida’s Migrant Flights Would Face Legal Hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyers who represent Ms. Huerta in related civil lawsuits did not respond to a request for comment. In legal filings, they have said the migrants only complained about their trips because they disagree with Mr. DeSantis’s politics. They were receptive to the free trips, the filings said, because they were hungry, exhausted and had few other options for help by the time they were approached. Legal analysts said this was probably because local law enforcement officials felt their role was limited in scope. From the beginning, Sheriff Javier Salazar has emphasized that he was looking at the people who may have broken the law in his own jurisdiction.

Persons: Perla Huerta, Huerta, DeSantis, Sheriff Javier Salazar, Greg Abbott, Newsom, Abbott Organizations: “, Vertol Systems, Lawyers, Democratic Locations: Texas, San Antonio, “ Massachusetts, Florida, California, New York, Washington, Chicago

☆ The CIA launched a Telegram channel to get Russians to spy for them, with one former spook saying now is 'probably the best period of recruiting Russians that we've had'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The CIA is attempting to recruit Russian spies with video posts on Telegram. As of Tuesday, the new CIA Telegram account had almost 5,000 followers. A screenshot from a CIA recruitment video aimed at Russians posted online on May 15, 2023. A screenshot from a CIA recruitment video aimed at Russians posted online on May 15, 2023. James Olson, a former counterintelligence chief, told CNN that this is "probably the best period of recruiting Russians that we've had."

☆ Rudy Giuliani told an employee not to talk to the FBI and then asked for her help googling obstruction of justice, lawsuit says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rudy Giuliani told an employee not to talk to the FBI and delete her messages with him, according to a lawsuit. He then asked for her help "Googling information about obstruction of justice," the lawsuit says. According to the lawsuit, around May 2019, Giuliani told Dunphy to delete her messages with him. "You've got to be smart enough to know what I have just said," Giuliani told her, according to the lawsuit. "Giuliani asked Ms. Dunphy for help in Googling information about obstruction of justice, among other topics," the lawsuit says.

☆ CIA launches video to recruit Russian spies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The CIA first posted the video on Telegram, which ends with instructions on how to get in touch with the CIA anonymously and securely. The video is also being posted to its other social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. It appeals to their sense of patriotism and plays on Russian culture, quoting lines from Leo Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. The emotional two-minute video shows different Russians going about their lives, appearing to contemplate major decisions. Monday’s video mirrors a more blunt outreach on social media by the CIA a year ago, two months into the war in Ukraine.

☆ China sentences 78-year-old U.S. citizen to life in prison on spying charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Relations between Washington and Beijing are at their lowest in decades amid disputes over trade, technology, human rights and China's increasingly aggressive approach toward its territorial claims involving self-governing Taiwan and the South China Sea. Jason Lee | ReutersChina sentenced a 78-year-old United States citizen to life in prison Monday on spying charges, in a case that reflects the deterioration in ties between Beijing and Washington over recent years. Details of the charges against John Shing-Wan Leung, who holds permanent residency in Hong Kong, have not been publicly released. High-level government visits have been on hold and U.S. companies are delaying major investments amid mixed-messaging from Beijing. Now the world’s second-largest economy, China is expanding its footprint in ports, railways and other infrastructure from Europe to Southeast Asia and beyond.

☆ Special counsel issues report criticizing FBI for launching Trump-Russia investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ken Dilanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The special counsel who spent four years investigating the Trump-Russia probe accused the FBI of acting negligently by opening the investigation based on vague and insufficient information in a sweeping 300-page report made public Monday. The FBI responded to the report, indicating that the missteps identified by Durham have already been addressed. Durham's report examines in painstaking detail various aspects of the now infamous FBI investigation code-named "Crossfire Hurricane," which led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Durham's investigation found that at the time, neither the FBI nor CIA had any intelligence suggesting an improper relationship between Trump and Russia. Durham appears to suggest that the intelligence information should have given the FBI pause in its pursuit of allegations involving the Trump campaign.

☆ FBI takes down Russian malware network that attacked allies, journalist computers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taxis move past the headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, in central Moscow, May 12, 2022. The Federal Bureau of Investigation disrupted a Russian government-controlled malware network that compromised hundreds of computers belonging to NATO-member governments and other Russian targets of interest, including journalists, the Justice Department said Tuesday. The unit, called Turla, used the malware to selectively target high-value devices used by allied foreign ministries and governments. Disrupting the malware was part of an effort by U.S. law enforcement to protect victims around the world. Snake's targeted capacities fed Russian intelligence huge amounts of information until U.S. law enforcement took down the network on Monday.

☆ Russia Ramps Up Pressure on Civilians in Occupied Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia is ramping up pressure on civilians in occupied parts of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, whose forces have stepped up their assaults behind enemy lines ahead of a widely expected counteroffensive. Anticipating the campaign, and still recovering from their costly and stumbling winter offensive, many Russian forces have shifted into defensive positions. Despite its staggering losses, Russia still controls a large swath of Ukrainian territory. The Russian authorities in occupied territory, wary of strikes by Ukrainian partisans and special forces, have imposed strict new measures on civilians. Most recently, they have “reinforced” counterintelligence units and are restricting travel between towns and villages, Ukraine’s military high command said Tuesday.

☆ Russia Tightens Restrictions in Occupied Regions of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Residents waiting for buses in Russian-controlled Mariupol, Ukraine, in December. Russian counterintelligence operatives are restricting travel in occupied areas of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. KYIV, Ukraine — As Ukrainian forces step up their assaults behind enemy lines ahead of an expected counteroffensive, Russia is imposing stricter measures on civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials say. The Ukrainian General Staff, which is responsible for the country’s overall military strategy, said “the violent abduction of pro-Ukrainian civilians” in occupied areas was continuing and that there were signs more civilians could be detained. In a reflection of the dangers facing Russian occupiers themselves, both Ukrainian and Russian officials reported an assassination attempt on the Kremlin-appointed deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Tuesday.

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