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☆ Opinion: Despite ISIS threat, Putin’s only concern is the politics of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Opinion Douglas London | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia knows it has a terrorist problem, despite its deflection and spin to preserve Putin’s image, but his priorities are elsewhere. Russian intelligence also suffers from systemic failings in recognizing, penetrating and dismantling terrorist cells, failings that stem from doctrine and a deliberately stovepiped structure that obstructs information sharing and agility. FSB officers will coerce, threaten and intimidate potential sources with diminishing returns that will only fuel ISIS-K recruitment and fundraising, which is no doubt seeing a surge from its Moscow attack. Russian intelligence will be left to depend on the unwilling, ill-informed or duplicitous. At the Islamic State’s height, Tajik Gulmurod Khalimov commanded its Iraqi capital of Mosul.

Persons: Douglas London, ”, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, Douglas, Mike Pompeo, Russia’s, Sergey Naryshkin, Igor Korobov, Donald Trump, Pompeo, Russia Michael McFaul, Barack Obama, Trump, Putin, Gulmurod Khalimov, Khalimov, “ Omar al, “ Omar, ” Batirashvili, Washington, Sergei Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CIA, of American Intelligence, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Global National Security Institutes, CNN, Federal Security Service, CBC, Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Military Intelligence, Trump, White, ISIS, Central, Former, Terrorism, Embassy, K’s, Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry, Islamic Locations: South, Southwest Asia, London, Khorasan, United States, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Great Britain, Russia, Washington, State, Moscow, Syria, Iraq, Russian, US, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Central Asia, Central Asian, Central, East, Turkey, Turkish, Istanbul, Mosul, Chechen, Georgian, Georgia, Iran, Kerman, Salisbury, England

☆ Central Asian migrants face xenophobic backlash in Russia after Moscow terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The men had been in Russia as migrant workers on either temporary or expired visas, authorities said. But in the days since, that emotion – combined with the disturbing videos – appears to have unleashed a wave of xenophobia from some towards Central Asian migrant workers in general. Her organization offers legal assistance to migrants looking for help in Russia, often on a pro bono basis. We need to spread the word.”A user in another channel, with 200,000 followers, suggested there was no space for anyone to feel sorry for migrants in Russia. According to Umerov, there are some 7 million migrants in Russia, of whom around 80% are from Central Asia.

Persons: Moskovsky, “ I’m, Vladimir Putin, Shamsidin, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Yulia Morozova, Putin, ”, ‘ It’s, Valentina Chupik, Tong Jahoni, Temur Umerov, don’t, ” Umerov, Umerov, Emomali Rahmon, “ Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Crocus, Central, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Soviet, Kazakhstan —, Human Rights Watch, Central Asia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Hall, Russian, Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, European Bank for Reconstruction, “, Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ISIS, Kremlin Locations: Moscow’s Crocus City, Tajikistan, Soviet, Central Asia, Russia, Ivanovo, Russian, Crocus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Illinois, Moscow, Central, Berlin, Ukraine, Kyrgyz, Tashkent, Western

☆ Former CIA officer breaks down 'duty to warn' requirement that saw the US give rival Russia a heads up before the attack in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ex-CIA officer Laura Thomas explained the 'duty to warn' protocol, that sounds the alarm on threats. Before the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack, Russia dismissed the US warnings. The CIA uses the "duty to warn" protocol to alert a US or non-US entity of an impending threat. Once a "duty to warn" notification is delivered, the CIA officer who issued the warning documents marks it as a "fulfilled" duty. "CIA's own duty to warn process does not always involve State Department, as it is not the same as a 'public' notification," Thomas said.

Persons: Laura Thomas, —, It's, ake, ould, ure, eason, haring, ike Organizations: CIA, Crocus City, Service, ust, tate Locations: Russia, italy

☆ Russia is returning to its Cold War posture with plans to increase troops along its NATO borders, Lithuania's PM warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia plans to increase its troops along its border with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister said. Ingrida Šimonytė said Russia is returning to a Cold War posture and Europe needs to be prepared. AdvertisementRussia is returning to its Cold War posture and is preparing to seriously grow the number of troops that it has along its shared borders with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister warned. Ingrida Šimonytė told Business Insider in an interview that the rebuilding of Russia's military capacities on its borders with NATO member states means that it is "returning to the Cold War sort of posture." As Business Insider previously reported, this is the kind of language Putin used before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Ingrida Šimonytė, —, Šimonytė, Russia hadn't, It's, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: NATO, Service, Ukraine, EU, Finland, Business, Lithuania, for Locations: Russia, Europe, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Soviet Union, Russia's, Baltic

☆ Israeli Negotiators Head to Qatar for Cease-Fire Talks, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Adam Rasgon | More About Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli negotiators were traveling to Qatar on Monday to participate in a new round of in-person talks aimed at achieving a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants, according to a senior Israeli official and another official briefed on the negotiations. The Israeli delegation’s trip to Doha, Qatar, comes after Israel and Hamas failed to reach an agreement ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week. The Israeli delegation includes the head of Mossad, the foreign intelligence agency; the director of the Shin Bet, the internal security service; and a representative of the Israeli Army, said the Israeli official. For months, Hamas leaders have been publicly calling for a comprehensive cease-fire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli officials have repeatedly rejected the demands and indicated that they would be open to only a temporary pause.

Persons: Shin, Israel Organizations: Palestinian, Israeli Army, Hamas Locations: Qatar, Gaza, Israeli, Doha, Israel

☆ US Marines don skis in joint NATO exercises in the critical Arctic battleground
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Last month, II MEF attended a 10-day training course in the hills near the Norwegian town of Setermoen. "I think that's one of the things that we see with our marines and sailors in this training," said II MEF commander, Lt. AdvertisementThe II MEF, the US military's rapid response group, was ordered to delay the hypothetical enemy so that "reinforcements" had time to arrive. The Arctic is a key locationThe Arctic itself is already a critical region for Russia and NATO. AdvertisementPutin has snapped back at the West following French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestions that NATO could send troops to Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ted Driscoll, David A, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND, Grant Schapps, Pål Jonson, Mark Stephens, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Emmanuel Macron's, Sergei Naryshkin, General Carl, Johan Edstrom, it's Organizations: Service, US Marines, Marine Expeditionary Force, NATO, Marines, Business, NBC News, Nato Nordic, Getty, Reuters, NBC, Norwegian Communication Authority, Brookings Institution, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, BBC Locations: Alaska, Norway, Norwegian, Setermoen, Iraq, Afghanistan, AFP, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, North America, Europe, Russian

☆ Exclusive: US prepared ‘rigorously’ for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Russian officials alleged Ukraine would build and detonate a dirty bomb against Russian forces and then blame the attack on Russia. Western intelligence agencies had received information that there were now communications among Russian officials explicitly discussing a nuclear strike. “It’s never a cut-and-dry, black-and-white assessment,” the first senior administration official told me. Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated US concerns “very directly” with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, according to senior administration officials. “We conducted a number of quiet conversations with core allies to go through our thinking,” the first senior administration official told me.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Powers, “, ” “, Chris McGrath, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, “ It’s, NurPhoto, Antony Blinken, Sergey Lavrov, Mark Milley, General Valery Gerasimov, Joe Biden, Bill Burns, Sergey Naryshkin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Alexandr Demyanchuk, ”, … Organizations: CNN, US, National Security Council, Kherson City, “, UN, United Nations, Russian, Russian Armed Forces, CIA, Indian, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, “, Russian, Kherson, Ukrainian, France, Turkey, ”, Kyiv, India, China, Samarkand

☆ Russian state-backed hackers accessed Microsoft’s core software systems, company says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian state-backed hackers gained access to some of Microsoft’s core software systems in a hack first disclosed in January, the company said Friday, revealing a more extensive and serious intrusion into Microsoft’s systems than previously known. Hackers with access to source code can use it for follow-on attacks on other systems. Microsoft first revealed the breach in January, days before another Big Tech company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said the same hackers had breached its cloud-based email systems. The hacking group was behind the infamous breach of several US agency email systems using software made by US contractor SolarWinds, which was revealed in 2020. US officials have attributed the hacking group to Russia’s foreign intelligence service.

Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Big Tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Kremlin, SolarWinds, Homeland Security, SEC Locations: Russian, Russia

☆ The Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine was shot 5 times while less than 500 feet away from a police station: WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Maksym Kuzminov was a Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine in August. AdvertisementMaksym Kuzminov, the 28-year-old Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine in August and later moved to Spain, was shot five times while less than 500 feet away from a local police station, The Wall Street Journal reported. A medic found five small-caliber shots, one of which directly hit his heart, revealing the accuracy with which the perpetrator killed Kuzminov, according to the report. Western intelligence officials and a former Russian intelligence officer told The Journal last year that Nikolai Patrushev, a close associate of Putin, orchestrated his death. AdvertisementFollowing reports of Kuzminov's death, Moscow's foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin appeared to support the Russian pilot's fate.

Persons: Maksym Kuzminov, Kuzminov, —, Maksym, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Nikolai Patrushev, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Joe Biden, Sergei Naryshkin, Naryshkin Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Russian, Biden Administration, TASS Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Spain, Villajoyosa, Moscow

☆ Biden to issue executive order aimed at protecting Americans’ sensitive data from China, other 'hostile countries'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden will issue an executive order Wednesday intended to safeguard the personal data of American citizens from countries deemed hostile. The executive order centers on the business of selling people's personal information, in which companies and so-called data brokers collect and trade data. The order focusses on specific, sensitive information like genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data and other kinds of personally identifiable information. The executive order will direct the Department of Justice to issue several regulations intended to protect sensitive data. "American privacy concerns in the data broker industry are not new, and existing laws do not sufficiently protect Americans' data from misuse," the letter said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Biden Organizations: White, Chinese Communist Party, Department of Justice, of Homeland Security, United States Telecommunications Services, U.S, Oracle, Trump, Biden Locations: Washington , DC, U.S, China

☆ White House looks to curb foreign powers’ ability to buy Americans’ sensitive personal data with executive order
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Wednesday aimed at curbing foreign governments’ ability to buy Americans’ sensitive personal information such as heath and geolocation data, according to senior US officials. The department will also issue regulations that require better protection of sensitive government information, including geolocation data on US military members, according to US officials. “Countries of concern, such as China and Russia, are buying Americans’ sensitive personal data from data brokers,” a separate senior administration official told reporters. In addition to health and location data, the executive order is expected to cover other sensitive information like genomic and financial data. Administration officials told reporters the new executive order would be applied narrowly so as not to hurt business transactions that do not pose a national security risk.

Persons: Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Department, Justice Department, Social, Defense, Health, Human Services, Veteran Affairs Locations: China, Russia

The staff member, Kyle Parker, is the senior Senate adviser for the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission. The commission is led by members of Congress and staffed by congressional aides. It is influential on matters of democracy and security and has been vocal in supporting Ukraine. A confidential report by the commission’s director and general counsel, which The New York Times reviewed, said that the equipment transfer could make Mr. Parker an unregistered foreign agent. It said that Mr. Parker had traveled Ukraine’s front lines wearing camouflage and Ukrainian military insignia and had hired a Ukrainian official for a U.S. government fellowship over the objections of congressional ethics and security officials.

Persons: Kyle Parker, Parker Organizations: Capitol Hill, U.S . Commission, Security, Cooperation, Helsinki Commission, New York Times Locations: Russia, Europe, Helsinki, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: What is Putin afraid of?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. But in its attempt to exercise and display its strength, Putin is showing his fear. Security forces have arrested Russians questioning the war in Ukraine, let alone questioning Putin. According to rights organization Freedom House, Russia has become one of the world’s top perpetrators of transnational repression. Criticism of the war or of Putin can lead to death in a Russian prison camp.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Ksenia, Putin, Karelina, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Chris Van Heerden, didn’t, Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, There’s Navalny, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, —, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, ”, Maxim Kuzminov, Russia “, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Federal Security Service, KGB, Security, US, Wall Street, House, Police Locations: Russia, Russian, Los Angeles, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Germany, Chechen, Alicante, Kuzminov, London, Salisbury, England, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Opinion: The Hur report points to a huge danger that one no one’s talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Ross | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Over the past year, we’ve seen an alarming wave of current or former senior government officials who reportedly failed to properly safeguard classified information. The clearest threat is that our adversaries can more easily gain access to classified material and the sensitive information it contains. This increases the likelihood that an adversary would succeed in accessing any classified documents stored at these locations. Our adversaries are not the only ones observing how well we safeguard sensitive information. Finally, US intelligence community employees, bound by the same oath to safeguard classified information, may come to question the seriousness of their obligation.

Persons: Gary Ross, Ross, we’ve, Donald Trump’s Mar, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Biden, Hur, ” Organizations: Texas, Bush School ,, Department of Defense, Office, National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, Bush, CNN, Biden, Justice Department, Trump, of Justice, US, US Justice Department, Lago Club . US Department of Justice, CIA, Intelligence Service Locations: Bush School , Washington, DC, United States, Delaware

☆ Opinion: The biggest potential danger from the Hur report is one no one’s talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Ross | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Persons: Gary Ross, Ross, we’ve, Donald Trump’s Mar, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Biden, ” Organizations: Texas, Bush School ,, Department of Defense, Office, National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, Bush, CNN, Biden, Justice Department, Trump, of Justice, US, US Justice Department, Lago Club . US Department of Justice, CIA, Intelligence Service Locations: Bush School , Washington, DC, United States, Delaware

☆ Speaker Mike Johnson once again stuck in the middle as funding deadline looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Lauren Fox | Melanie Zanona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“Now, we are in a fully Johnson-run House, and he’s got to own all the decision making in the 12 appropriations bills. Probably not best for public policy either,” Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said. Johnson is facing pressure from members of the House Freedom Caucus to include dozens of policy riders that would never pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Just a week later, funding for the rest of the government will also lapse. I think we will see another omnibus appropriation bill.”Asked if that causes a problem for Johnson, Bishop argued, “The speaker didn’t create those problems.”

Persons: Mike Johnson, Senate appropriators, Johnson, he’s, That’s, Patrick McHenry of, “, imploring, Alejandro Mayorkas’s, they’ll, can’t, Chuck Schumer, –, Kevin McCarthy, ” Rep, Don Bacon, “ It’s, Mayorkas, Warren Davidson, ’ ”, Davidson, Andy Biggs, “ We’ve, ” Biggs, Dan Bishop, ”, Bishop Organizations: Republicans, Senate, ” Republican, Financial Services, Caucus, Democratic, Homeland, FBI, HFC, Department of Agriculture, Veteran’s Affairs, Transportation, Housing, Energy, Water, CNN, Congress, ”, Republican, Defense Department, Foreign Intelligence, GOP, “ Locations: Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Florida, Nebraska, Ukraine, Ohio, North Carolina

☆ The Informant Turned Defendant Who Took Aim at the Bidens
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Glenn Thrush | Kenneth P. Vogel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a decade, he played a double game, giving the F.B.I. In 2020, Mr. Smirnov told his F.B.I. handler what prosecutors say was a brazen lie — that the oligarch owner of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had arranged to pay $5 million bribes to both President Biden and his son Hunter. The explosive claim was leaked to Republicans, who made Mr. Smirnov’s allegations a centerpiece of their now-stalled effort to impeach President Biden, apparently without verifying the allegation. Last week, Mr. Smirnov, 43, was indicted on charges that he lied to investigators about the Bidens.

Persons: Alexander Smirnov, Smirnov, Burisma, Biden, Hunter Organizations: Soviet Locations: Soviet Union, Ukrainian

☆ Special counsel asks judge to send indicted ex-informant in Hunter Biden case back to jail
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Special counsel David Weiss asked a California judge Wednesday to send indicted ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov back to jail while he awaits trial. A magistrate judge in Las Vegas released Smirnov on Tuesday, finding that even enough Smirnov posed a flight risk, he could be released under certain conditions. Those conditions include GPS monitoring, confiscating his two passports, and ordering him to remain in Nevada where he currently lives. Smirnov is charged with lying to the FBI about the Biden family’s dealings in Ukraine. In the court filings, Weiss said that Smirnov repeatedly lied to his FBI handler, whom he worked with for more than a decade, and should not be trusted.

Persons: David Weiss, Alexander Smirnov, Smirnov, Prosecutors, Weiss, ” Organizations: CNN, FBI, Las Vegas, Biden Locations: California, Las, Nevada, Ukraine, Russia

Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesA Russian helicopter pilot Maxim Kuzminov who defected to Ukraine in a dramatic operation is dead, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) tells CNN. A source at Ukraine’s GUR confirmed to CNN the body was that of Kuzminov, but would not comment on how he had died. Spanish Civil Guard officers investigate the garage where the body of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov was found in Villajoyosa, Spain, on February 13. Some context: Last September, CNN reported on how the Russian pilot flew his Mi8 combat helicopter across the border – in an operation directed by Ukraine’s GUR. In an interview, carried out under the auspices of the GUR, Kuzminov explained how he planned his defection and why he did it, telling reporters he was opposed to the war.

Persons: Butenko, Andrew Carey, Al Goodman, Maxim Kuzminov, Maxym, Ukraine’s GUR, Rafa Arjones, Dmitry Peskov, Sergey Naryshkin, Kuzminov Organizations: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, CNN, Spanish Civil Guard, Ukraine’s, Civil Guard, Reuters, Foreign, RIA Novosti, Mi8 Locations: CNN’s, Kyiv, Madrid, Russian, Ukraine, Spain, Villajoyosa, Informacion, Russia, Moscow

☆ Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine is dead: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Victoria Butenko | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot who dramatically defected to Ukraine by flying his helicopter across the border, is dead, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). A source at Ukraine’s GUR confirmed to CNN the body of the man found in Spain was that of Kuzminov, but would not comment on how he had died. The shooting took place in a neighborhood where some Russian and Ukrainian expatriates have settled since the war began, according to the Villajoyosa city hall press office. When Kuzminov flew into Ukraine, the two other Russian service members on board the Mi-8 helicopter with him did not know what was happening. “I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option: ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward,’” the pilot said.

Persons: CNN — Maxim Kuzminov, Ukraine’s GUR, Dmitry Peskov, Sergey Naryshkin, Russia Legion –, Kuzminov, ” “, Maxim, ‘, ’ Kuzminov, Kyrolo Budanov, Budanov, “, ” Budanov, GUR, ’, I’m, ”, ” Kuzminov, Victoria Butenko, Andrew Carey, Al Goodman, Madrid Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Spanish Civil Guard, Civil Guard, Ukraine’s, Russian Foreign Intelligence, RIA Novosti, Russian TV, Russia Legion, Armed Forces of, EU, Legion, Kyiv, Radio Liberty Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Alicante, Villajoyosa, Spain, Alicante province, Russia, Moscow, ” “ Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Alexander Smirnov told investigators he got Hunter Biden dirt from Russian intelligence officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The former FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens’ dealings in Ukraine told investigators after his arrest that Russian intelligence officials were involved in passing information to him about Hunter Biden, prosecutors said Tuesday in a new court filing, noting that the information was false. They said he previously told the FBI that he has longstanding and extensive contacts with Russian spies, including individuals he said were high-level intelligence officers or command Russian assassins abroad. The story, prosecutors noted, matches the story Smirnov told his handler about Hunter Biden being recorded in a foreign hotel. And, prosecutors wrote, Smirnov claims to have met with Russian intelligence officials as recently as November and December 2023. “He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Prosecutors, Alexander Smirnov, ” Smirnov, David Weiss ’, Smirnov, “ Smirnov, Joe Biden’s, Smirnov’s, Weiss, “ Mr, ”, “, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Cheri Mossburg Organizations: CNN, FBI, Prosecutors, House Republicans, ” Prosecutors Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States, Kyiv, Russian

☆ Estonia thwarts ‘shadow war’ attack, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Estonia has thwarted a Russian-directed influence operation on its territory, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has told CNN. The Estonian Internal Security Service arrested 10 individuals, including both Russian and Estonian nationals. “There’s a shadow war going on against our societies,” Prime Minister Kallas told CNN. “The aim of Russia’s influence operations is to influence our democratic decision making. The Kremlin is also directly involved in shaping Russian influence operations in neighboring countries, according to Presidential Administration documents leaked last year.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, ” Kallas Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Estonian Internal Security Service, ”, Intelligence, SVR, Administration, Moldovan, NATO, European Union Locations: Estonia, Russian, Russia, –, NATO, Europe, Baltic States, Moldova

☆ Russia's NATO neighbors are building hundreds of bunkers and anti-tank ditches in case of an invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementEstonia, Lithuania, and Latvia are busy building massive defensive installations along their collective 1,000 miles of border with Russia and Belarus. The Baltic Defense Line, comprising hundreds of bunkers and other defensive measures, was a key part of an agreement struck between the three countries last month, prompted by the war in nearby Ukraine. Advertisement"A Baltic defensive line is a huge project," Lukas Milevski, a research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, wrote recently. A diagram of prototype bunkers published by Estonia's defense ministry shows how the oblong structures are designed to fit into a T-shaped dugout, their entrance protected by earthworks.

Persons: —, 🛡️, evkur, e cade, " ERR, Baker, ure, ely, vic, ted as say Organizations: Service, Baltic Defense, ici Locations: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Eston, ain

☆ Russia could be at war with NATO "within the next decade," intelligence report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia may be preparing for a "confrontation with the West," says Estonia's intelligence service. "Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation," said Estonia's intelligence chief. AdvertisementNATO may find itself at war with Russia in the next 10 years, says Estonia's foreign intelligence service. The intelligence agency said in a report on Tuesday that Russia may be preparing for a "confrontation with the West." "Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation," Rosin said during the report's launch, per Reuters.

Persons: —, Rosin, Donald Trump, Trump, he'd, didn't, Trump's, Ben Hodges, Hodges Organizations: NATO, Service, Reuters, US Army, British, Times, Business Insider Locations: Russia, Estonia, Estonian, Ukraine, Russian, South Carolina, US Army Europe

CNN —Russian authorities on Tuesday launched criminal proceedings against Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, charges the leader of the Baltic state alleged were politically motivated. The Kremlin accused Kallas, Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys of destroying or damaging monuments to Soviet monuments in memory of Soviet soldiers, Russia’s state-run Tass news reported. Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Kallas announced that Estonia would remove all of the country’s Soviet monuments from public spaces. A report by the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said Russia may consider doubling the number of troops stationed on its border with the Baltic countries and increasing those on its frontier with Finland, which joined NATO last year. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also on Tuesday delivered his annual foreign policy speech, which included fiery anti-Russian remarks and a full-throated backing for Ukraine.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Peterkop, Simonas, Dmitry Peskov, ” Kallas, ”, Vladimir Putin, Margus Tsahkna, Joshua Berlinger Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Kremlin, State, Lithuanian Culture, Russia, Soviet Union, European Union, NATO, Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, Ukraine Locations: Baltic, Estonian, Ukraine, Estonia, Russia, Siberia, Soviet, Finland, “

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