Northern Coasts, an annual maritime exercise hosted by the German navy, has commenced in the Baltic Sea. About 30 warships and 3,200 personnel from 14 nations, including the United States and NATO member states, will participate in activities designed to build skills in amphibious operations, air defense, sea-to-land strikes and securing sea lanes. The latest iteration...
The United Kingdom has deployed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to monitor activities in the Black Sea where, according to an intelligence report, Russia plans to place mines targeting civilian shipping to prevent exports of Ukrainian grain. According to Britain, the ISR capabilities will enable determining whether Russia launches such an attack, noting that Moscow...
The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security said Friday that it has added 49 companies to its Entity List for supplying U.S.-origin integrated circuits to Russian consignees with links to Russia’s defense sector. Listed entities need to secure a licensing requirement for any export, reexport or in-country transfer of all items. China-based companies...
Nearly two years into its war with Ukraine, Russia has officially withdrawn from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. In response, NATO is suspending operations for the Cold War-era security pact. The CFE Treaty was ratified in 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and entered into force in 1992. The treaty...
A group of Russian hackers is targeting European governments with spearphishing campaigns to breach their digital systems, according to a new advisory from the European Union’s Cyber Emergency Response Team. The cybersecurity note identified at least seven EU countries on the target list of the hacking group Fancy Bear, Politico reported. The cyberthreat actors deployed...
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed new sanctions on a Belgian businessman and his companies for the export of electronics in support of the Russian military. According to OFAC, Hans De Geetere serves as a director of several companies in Belgium, Cyprus and the Netherlands. He is a long-time...
The United Kingdom is establishing a government organization dedicated to monitoring and strengthening the enforcement of trade sanctions on Russia. Nusrat Ghani, industry and economic security minister, recently announced the creation of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation. The OTSI will be responsible for ensuring that companies in the U.K. are adhering to trade sanctions,...
Ukraine says Russian hackers infiltrated a major telecom provider for months before launching a cyberattack on Dec. 12 that crippled communications services. In an interview, Illia Vitiuk, head of the cybersecurity division at SBU, Ukraine’s intelligence agency, revealed that the cybercriminals have been inside Kyivstar’s systems since at least May. He noted that the incident destroyed...
The United States and its international allies have issued a statement condemning the alleged transfer of ballistic missiles from North Korea to Russia. In the statement signed by U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, European Union High Representative Josep Borrell and the foreign ministers of 47 countries, the coalition declared that the reported North Korea-Russia arms...
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against third-country actors identified to be materially supporting Russia’s war campaign in Ukraine. According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the action implements the Group of Seven’s decision to take down the Kremlin’s military procurement networks, including individuals and entities that are helping secure...
