[rebelmouse-image 60323886 expand=1 dam=1 alt="OSR banner" site_id=26883708 is_animated_gif="false" original_size="1000x220" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/60323886/origin.png%22%2C%20%22thumbnails%22%3A%20%7B%22origin%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/60323886/origin.png%22%2C%20%22700x1245%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D700%26height%3D1245%26coordinates%3D438%252C0%252C438%252C0%22%2C%20%221000x750%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1000%26height%3D750%26coordinates%3D353%252C0%252C353%252C0%22%2C%20%221200x400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D170%252C0%252C170%252C0%22%2C%20%22210x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D210%22%2C%20%221200x600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D280%252C0%252C280%252C0%22%2C%20%221200x800%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D800%26coordinates%3D335%252C0%252C335%252C0%22%2C%20%22300x300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D300%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D390%252C0%252C390%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D280%252C0%252C280%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%22%2C%20%22600x400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D335%252C0%252C335%252C0%22%2C%20%2235x35%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D35%26height%3D35%22%2C%20%22750x1000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D750%26height%3D1000%26coordinates%3D417%252C0%252C418%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D390%252C0%252C390%252C0%22%2C%20%22980x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D980%22%2C%20%22600x200%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D200%26coordinates%3D170%252C0%252C170%252C0%22%2C%20%221245x700%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1245%26height%3D700%26coordinates%3D304%252C0%252C304%252C0%22%2C%20%221500x2000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D1500%26height%3D2000%26coordinates%3D417%252C0%252C418%252C0%22%2C%20%22300x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D300%22%2C%20%222000x1500%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.thecipherbrief.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MDMyMzg4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgwNzYxNDQ4OX0.1gEV77I0VNIGhfMuzIWULyPcbwHRsD2wYLxm6pOF4pA/image.png%3Fwidth%3D2000%26height%3D1500%26coordinates%3D353%252C0%252C353%252C0%22%7D%2C%20%22manual_image_crops%22%3A%20%7B%229x16%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22700x1245%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20124%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20438%7D%2C%20%22600x300%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20440%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20280%7D%2C%20%223x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x400%22%2C%20%22600x200%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20660%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20170%7D%2C%20%223x2%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x800%22%2C%20%22600x400%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20330%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20335%7D%2C%20%221x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600x600%22%2C%20%22300x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20390%7D%2C%20%223x4%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221500x2000%22%2C%20%22750x1000%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20165%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20417%7D%2C%20%2216x9%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221245x700%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20392%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20304%7D%2C%20%224x3%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%222000x1500%22%2C%20%221000x750%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20294%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20353%7D%2C%20%222x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x600%22%2C%20%22600x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20220%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20440%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20280%7D%7D%7D" caption="" photo_credit="" title=""]

Friday, April 28, 2023

The Cipher Brief curates open source information from around the world that impacts national security. Here's a look at today's headlines, broken down by region of the world:  

Americas

U.S. Sanctions Russia's FSB, Iran’s IRGC Over Discriminatory Imprisonment of Americans. On Thursday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the intelligence unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Russia domestic security service, the FSB, accusing both of being responsible and complicit in the wrongful detention of Americans abroad. The sanctions also targeted several individuals in IRGC’s IO, including four senior commanders, one of whom has already been subject to previous U.S. sanctions. U.S. officials said the sanctions aimed to promote accountability and to deter future politically motivated detentions of Americans overseas and hinted that additional sanctions may be forthcoming. Russia and Iran both hold several American citizens in their prisons, which the U.S. says are wrongful detentions that are politically motivated. President Biden urged both countries to release the U.S. citizens they are holding. It is unclear how effective the sanctions will be at changing either country’s behavior; experts expect that if either the FSB or IRGC IO had financial assets in foreign countries at some point, those were likely cut off or frozen already due to sanctions related to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reuters Wall Street Journal The New York Times 

China Promises Retribution if US Continues to Press Charges Against Police Officers Accused of Intimidating Chinese Citizens in America.  Beijing says it will retaliate against the US if the Justice Department continues to press charges against Chinese officials who it says are part of a global campaign to target dissidents and Chinese citizens living abroad.  A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of “weaponizing” the law and warned that if the practice continues, Beijing will take “resolute” countermeasures.  The comments follow an announcement earlier this month by the US Justice Department of charges against 44 individuals, most of them Chinese police officers, who the US says are involved in a “transnational repression scheme”.  Beijing says the US is engaged in “political manipulation” and is hyping up the China threat.   South China Morning Post

New Details About Alleged Leaker Raise More Questions About US Military’s Vetting Process. New details about Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira’s past conduct are revealing how multiple red flags were ignored and did not prevent the Pentagon from granting him a top-secret security clearance. Teixeira is accused of leaking a trove of classified documents on social media since at least December 2022. According to court documents filed by U.S. government prosecutors on Wednesday, Teixeira was suspended from high school when a classmate “overheard him make remarks about weapons, including Molotov cocktails, guns at the school, and racial threats”. His applications for a firearm identification card in 2018 and 2019 were reportedly both denied over concerns by his local police department about those comments. Experts say the fact that the Pentagon granted Teixeira and a weapon despite these concerns by local authorities is evidence of its continued failure to prevent extremists from joining the military. Prosecutors say that when the FBI searched Teixeira’s room earlier this month after arresting him, they found “multiple weapons, including handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, and an AK-style high-capacity weapon”. Teixeira also allegedly posted on Discord, the online platform he used for leaking the classified documents, that he wanted to “kill a ton of people” to “cull[ing] the weak minded”, and allegedly asked another user for advice on how to carry out a shooting “in a crowded urban or suburban environment”. Lawmakers as well as current and former US officials told CNN that there is clearly a need to evaluate the backgrounds of people like Teixeira who have access to highly classified information much more thoroughly; while background investigations focus on things like counterintelligence threats and susceptibility to potential blackmail, they do not focus on “overall fitness, character, or trustworthiness”. Additionally, the continuous monitoring process for cleared personnel that the Pentagon has used since 2018 does not really know how to account for social media and is challenged further by what the U.S. government can collect domestically about U.S. persons. A judge in Teixeira’s case on Thursday said he would not yet issue a ruling on whether Teixeira will remain in jail or be released while he awaits trial. Federal prosecutors argued that Airman Teixeira will “flee” or “obstruct” their investigation if he is released.  CNN CNN

Biden Administration Takes Step to Curb Migration over US/ Mexico Border. The Biden administration announced new measures to stop migrants from illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday. The measures are a carrot and stick approach to migration and will both crack down on those who do come and create new pathways that are an alternative to illegally entering the country. The effort includes opening new processing centers in countries such as Guatemala and Colombia for people fleeing violence and poverty, to facilitate applications to legally enter and settle in the U.S., Canada, or Spain. The administration also pledged to quickly screen asylum-seeking migrants at the border itself, deport those who do not meet the criteria, and penalize anyone who crosses illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country en route to the U.S. border. It is unclear how effective the new measures will be; experts also expect the U.S. will be challenged soon by the expiration of public health rules that allowed authorities to quickly expel many migrants due to concerns about COVID. Associated Press 

Hundreds of Migrants Stranded at Chile-Peru Border in Attempt to Reach Home of Venezuela. Officials in Arica, the northern Chilean city that borders Peru, declared a migration emergency on Thursday. A separate state of emergency was declared in the nearby Peruvian city of Tacna on Wednesday by the Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte. Hundreds of people attempting to cross through Peru en route to their home country of Venezuela remained stranded at the border between Chile and Peru on Thursday due to lack of documents, according to Peruvian authorities. Leaders in both Chile and Peru blame each other for the situation; Amnesty International urged both sides to end what it called “the militarization” of the border. The head of Chile’s lower house of Congress called for all the countries in the region to create a humanitarian corridor to allow the migrants safe passage back to Venezuela. Separately, a measure in the lower house of Chile’s Congress that would classify illegal immigration as a crime is soon to be debated. Associated Press 

Western Europe

UK Missile Maker Signs a $2.37 billion deal with Poland. Today the UK government announced Britain's arm of MBDA, a European missile producer, agreed to provide Poland with a British-designed air defense system. The package includes 22 Polish air defense batteries equipped with British Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles and launchers, which can engage targets up to 15.5 mi away. They are also capable of hitting a tennis ball-sized object traveling beyond the speed of sound. This deal comes in harmony with the trilateral cooperation agreement between Kyiv, London, and Warsaw to strengthen NATO’s Eastern flank. Reuters

Central & Eastern Europe

Russian Air Strikes Across Central Ukraine Kills At Least 16.  Russia launched significant air strikes across parts of central Ukraine Friday morning.  Officials say the attacks killed at least 15 people and injured dozens of others.  One of the rockets reportedly hit a nine-story apartment building in the central city of Uman, killing 13 people.  Air raid sirens were also heard in the Kyiv district, with debris from one destroyed rocket damaging striking a residential building about 25 miles south of Kyiv.  The main focus of the attack came from Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers which launched 23 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea according to a statement from the Commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, who also said that the Ukrainian military had shot down 21 of the 23 missiles.  Associated Press New York Times Washington Post Reuters

Ukraine Says Preparations Almost Complete for Expected Offensive Campaign Against Russia.  Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says that preparations for a Ukrainian counteroffensive are largely complete.  Reznikov gave no specific details on when the decision to launch the offensive would be given, but that the military was ‘to a high percentage’ ready.  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier this week that Kyiv’s allies had delivered almost all of the promised combat vehicles to Ukraine.  Reuters

Russia Attempts to Cut Final Routes into Bakhmut Amid Fierce Fighting.  Russian forces on Thursday attempted to sever critical supply routes into the embattled city of Bakhmut according to Ukrainian officials.  A Ukrainian military spokesman said there had been 13 new combat engagements in the last 24 hours, but that thanks to counterattacks by the Ukrainian military the supply routes remain open.  A Ukrainian military analyst says that local Ukrainian counter attacks are making it difficult for Russia to seize complete control of Bakhmut, which has been the focus of Russia’s offensive operations for 10 months.  Reuters

Ukrainian Journalist Killed and Italian Reporter Wounded, Allegedly by Russian Sniper. A pair of journalists were headed to Kherson on Wednesday when they were allegedly shot by a Russian sniper. Corrado Zunio, an Italian reporter for La Repubblica, suffered injuries to his shoulder during the attack. Zunio is reportedly receiving medical treatment.  Ukrainian journalist Bogdan Bitik who was Zunio’s translator, was tragically killed in the attack.  Both men were wearing press vests, and this attack brings the total to at least 15 media workers and journalists who have been killed in Ukraine. BBC Al Jazeera  

NATO Reports Ukraine’s Allies Have Delivered 98% of Combat Equipment for Offensive. NATO has delivered over 1550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks, tons of ammunition, and helped to train and equip over nine new combat brigades according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg says he believes “this will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory.” The comments came after a call, described as ‘long and meaningful’ between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese President Xi Jingping. Russian Foreign Minister Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia is “ready to welcome anything that could lead to the termination of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of all the goals set by Russia,” but most analysts say the prospects of peace between Kyiv and Moscow are grim. Stoltenberg says that the 31 NATO countries are committed to strengthening Ukraine’s military in its goal to retake land from Russia, which will give it a stronger position in any future negotiations. Associated Press  Al Jazeera

Russian FM Official Says Russia Does Not Want Nuclear War, but Nations Should Not Test its Patience.  A spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry is the latest official to warn of the risks of nuclear escalation over the standoff with the West in the Ukraine war.  Maria Zakharova warned in a news conference that Moscow does not seek nuclear escalation but will protect ‘it’s vital interests’ and added "I do not recommend that anybody doubt our determination and put it to the test in practice".  Her comments follow former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, who warned earlier this week that the world was “quite probably on the verge of a new world war”.  Reuters The London Daily  

Moscow Denies U.S. Request to Visit Detained Gershkovich.  Russia has rejected a US request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.  The request for the May 11 visit was denied in retaliation, Moscow says, to a US decision to not allow Russian journalists to enter the US.  The Russian reporters were part of a delegation that was attempting to enter the US to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.  Reuters Associated Press 

Asia & Oceania

Chinese Warships and Planes Test Taiwan Defenses in Latest Incursion. Taipei’s Ministry of National Defense said on Friday that it had detected dozens of Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels, including one that flew around Taiwan. The 38 warplanes and six ships are the biggest deployment of Chinese military assets since China sent 91 aircraft and a dozen ships after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States earlier this month. Taiwan said one of China’s combat drones flew around the island within what Taipei claims as its air defense zone, while another unmanned reconnaissance drone flew halfway around before doubling back. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for details of the Chinese military’s operations around Taiwan. Separately, the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command called a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft’s transit through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday “a provocative action”. The U.S. 7th Fleet said the flight complied with international law and “demonstrates the U.S.’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”. Wall Street Journal  Associated Press 

Tense Confrontation Between Philippine Patrol Vessel and Chinese Coast Guard in Contested South China Sea.  The Philippines have accused China’s Coast Guard of dangerous maneuvers that threatened the safety of a Philippine patrol vessel and say the actions contrasted with international maritime norms.  The incident is the latest tense encounter between Chinese and Philippine maritime vessels and occurred near the contested Spratley archipelago.  A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the Philippine vessel had strayed into Chinese waters and acted provocatively.  A Philippine Foreign Ministry spokesperson says China interfered with a routine patrol.  The larger Chinese vessel reportedly came within 150 feet of the Philippine vessel, forcing the latter to take aggressive measures to avoid a collision. Associated Press  Al Jazeera Reuters 

South Korea’s President Emphasizes Cooperation with Japan, U.S. on North Korea. In a Congressional address, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged US legislators to speed up trilateral cooperation with Japan and the US to counter North Korea. Yoon also pledged to actively safeguard the freedom of Ukrainians and support their reconstruction efforts. Reuters Politico

China Signals Willingness to Work With Central Asian Nations to End Ukraine War.  China’s Foreign Ministry says that Beijing is willing to work with five central Asian nations to bring about an end to the Ukraine war.  Foreign Minister Qin Gang says China and the nations, all former Soviet states which include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, share a similar view on the crisis in Ukraine.  Qin says that China is willing to work with all parties, including Central Asian nations to build consensus and find a resolution to the crisis.  South China Morning Post

Pakistan and China Announce Plans to Deepen Military Cooperation.  China’s Defense Ministry announced plans to deepen cooperation with Pakistan’s military.  The statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry followed a meeting with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, who is on his first visit to China in the role.  During the visit the two sides discussed deepening military cooperation and regional stability.  A Pakistani-based analysts says that Pakistan’s dependence on China is increasing amid multiple policy and security challenges facing Islamabad including financial challenges, rising threats from terrorism and ongoing border tensions with India.  China is Pakistan’s primary financial and security partner and has invested a reported $60 billion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.  Al Jazeera

Security Council Decries Taliban’s Suppression of Afghan Women Working for UN. The UN Security Council unanimously condemned the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for the UN in Afghanistan and demanded Taliban leaders to “swiftly reverse” the oppression of women. Drafted by the UAE and Japan, over 90 countries from every region of the world signed onto the resolution. The resolution preempts a scheduled meeting regarding Afghanistan on May 1-2, where UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet with special envoys from around the world to create a unified approach towards Afghanistan. Reuters Al Jazeera Associated Press The New York Times 

Middle East & North Africa

Iran Seizes Marshall Islands-Flagged Oil Tanker in International Waters of Gulf of Oman, U.S. Navy Claims. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said that Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker that was heading to the U.S. The incident reportedly happened in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. The Fifth Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet and said it had just come from Kuwait, with a final destination listed as Houston. It was carrying crude oil for Chevron Corp. The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1:15PM local time on Thursday while it was in international waters as Iran’s navy seized the vessel. The Fifth Fleet said in a statement that Iran should release the oil tanker and said this was at least the fifth commercial vessel taken by Tehran in the last two years. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the seizure came “after an unknown ship collided with an Iranian vessel in the Persian Gulf, causing several Iranian crew members to go missing and get injured”.  Reuters Al Jazeera Associated Press 

Israeli Forces Kill Alleged Palestinian Attacker in West Bank after Purported Car-Ramming. On Thursday, Israeli security forces said they shot and killed a suspected Palestinian assailant in the West Bank after he tried to carry out a car-ramming attack near the settlement of Ariel. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as 39-year-old Ahmed Taha, from the village of Salfit. No other casualties were reported. The secular nationalist party Fatah issued a statement that Taha was a father and was a first lieutenant in the Palestinian security forces who was on his way home after work and called his killing “a crime”. The incident adds to the continued volatile security situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli-Palestinian violence has reached record levels. 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank just in 2023, according to the Associated Press, at least half of which were affiliated with militant groups. 19 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the same period. Associated Press Al Jazeera 

Private Guards on Yacht Shoot at Yemeni Coast Guard, Reports British Military. On Friday, private guards on a famous Cook Islands-flagged yacht opened fire on Yemeni Coast Guard members after mistaking them for pirates, sparking a gunfight when the Coast Guard returned fire. It is not clear if anyone was wounded. Yemeni officials have not publicly acknowledged the incident, and Yemen’s Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Gulf of Aden is a critical route for global trade and in recent years has seen attacks attributed to Yemen’s Iranian-supported Houthi rebels. Associated Press 

Sub Saharan Africa

Sudan's Ceasefire Extended But Clashes Continue. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Thursday they would extend Tuesday’s US-brokered ceasefire by an additional 72 hours. However, violent clashes continued to rock both Khartoum and the western region of Darfur. The SAF said it controls most of the country and is in the process of defeating a large RSF deployment in Khartoum; witnesses and Reuters journalists reported air strikes and anti-aircraft fire in the capital and the nearby cities of Omdurman and Bahri. It has not been possible for media outlets to verify the SAF’s claims of control. At least 500 people have died, and tens of thousands of people have fled the country since fighting began on April 15. The White House said it was deeply concerned by repeated ceasefire violations and urged U.S. citizens to leave Sudan within 24 to 48 hours. A U.S. defense official said three U.S. Navy vessels were approaching the Sudanese coast but had not yet received orders to pick up U.S. citizens or other personnel; the UK Foreign Secretary urged British nationals to get to an airfield north of Khartoum for evacuation flights.  Reuters Al Jazeera BBC Associated Press

Turkish Evacuation Plane Shot at in Sudan, Foreign Evacuation Attempts Continue. Gunmen fired on a Turkish plane trying to evacuate stranded foreign nationals from Khartoum on Friday, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry, putting additional evacuation flights from a military airfield north of the capital in jeopardy. There were no injuries to Turkish personnel and the plane landed “safely”, according to Turkish officials. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) blamed each other for the attack. The airfield in question is currently secured by foreign troops and has been used to evacuate foreigners from more than 41 countries, including France, Germany, the UK, and some Americans. Thousands of Americans remain trapped in the country with no immediate means to escape. Separately, French troops quickly flew across the Chadian border to evacuate more than 100 United Nations staff and aid workers from western Sudan’s Darfur region, where fighting is also raging, according to The Washington Post.  Washington Post

Violence in Khartoum Spills Out into Rest of Sudan: Fears of Civil War as Gunmen Rage Through Darfur. Civilians in Sudan’s western region of Darfur have begun arming themselves and organizing their own defenses to protect themselves against attacks from rival tribes as well as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have long operated in the region and descended from one of the most feared Janjaweed militias that committed a multitude of atrocities in the area. Some local and international observers are concerned that the current violence in Darfur could evolve into targeted ethnic violence, particularly in West Darfur state’s capital, el-Geneina, where Arab and non-Arab tribes have already repeatedly clashed over the past year due to dwindling land and water resources. Residents from non-Arab tribes have claimed since Tuesday that Arab tribes have attacked non-Arabs and burned government shelters and internally displaced persons camps to the ground. Al Jazeera has been unable to verify those claims, but local government offices, hospitals, central markets, and international humanitarian organization warehouses have all been burned, looted, or both since fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15. Weapons are smuggled in from Chad, the Central African Republic, and Libya; the RSF is also reportedly arming or selling weapons to Arab tribes. Associated Press Al Jazeera 

Armed Men in Northern Nigeria Kidnap 5 Aid Workers and Kill 15 Villagers in Homes. Gunmen in northern Nigeria killed 15 villagers and abducted five aid workers in separate attacks on Thursday. A senior Benue state government official said military personnel were among those shot in one attack. Armed groups are targeting remote communities across northwest and central Nigeria; more than 80 people have been killed in Benue state in the past month. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Separately, Islamic extremists abducted five aid workers in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state, all from the international non-governmental organization FHI 360, who were reportedly working to provide medical care to people in the area. FHI 360 condemned the kidnapping of its workers and called for their “unconditional, immediate, and safe return”.  Associated Press 

Cyber & Tech

NSA Cyber Director Warns Russia Seeking Ways To Disrupt U.S., European Supply Chains. Noting that “wars are won and lost with logistics,” NSA Cyber Director Rob Joyce told an RSA conference audience that Russia is seeking ways to disrupt not only Ukraine’s internal supply routes, but also the supply chains of Western partners who are surging “lethal and humanitarian goods…into Ukraine.”  Joyce noted that Russia has directed “a significant amount of intelligence gathering” against European and U.S. logistics.  Thus far, NSA has not detected ransomware attacks on U.S. supply chain entities similar to those suffered by transportation and logistics companies within Ukraine and Poland at the hands of the Russian military hacking unit, Sandworm.  Joyce said that the U.S. response to any ransomware attack on logistics chains would be “a policymaker question.”  TheRecord   CyberScoop

 U.S. Officials View Pros and Cons of Rapid AI Development.  Eric Goldstein, CISA’s executive assistant director, noted “a wide breadth of risks plus benefits with AI” in a discussion of the breakneck development of the technology at the RSA conference.  The unprecedented nature of potential AI system intrusions posed a significant problem for those tasked with defending against cyber threats, Goldstein said.  NSA cybersecurity chief Rob Joyce observed that the massive growth in AI applications poses a special challenge for developers as intellectual property “will be worth targeting, and…what companies need to worry about protecting.”  Morgan Adamski, chief of the NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center, identified leading AI companies and their supply chains as potentially vulnerable to attack, adding “I think that you’ll see a persistent threat against AI companies in a way that we’ve seen in other technologies.”  Wall Street Journal

U.S., South Korea Commit to Cybersecurity Cooperation Agreement.  The U.S. and South Korea indicated in a joint statement their intent to cooperate on a broad range of cybersecurity issues.  The agreement came after the visit of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the White House on Wednesday.  Topics covered in the agreement include efforts to thwart “cyber adversaries” and to defend critical infrastructure.   Presidents Yoon and Biden highlighted the countries’ joint resolve to counter North Korea’s broad range of cyber threats, including cryptocurrency crimes that help fund the North’s “unlawful [weapons] and ballistic missile programs.”  TheRecord

Ukraine Cyber Chief Says Russian Cyberattacks Should Be Referred to International Court.  Ukraine’s cyber security chief, participating in an RSA conference panel discussion, said that Russian military leaders should be held responsible for attacks on civilian infrastructure and schools.  Illia Vitiuk, chief of cyber and information security within Ukraine’s Security Service, did not define which cyberattacks constituted war crimes, but noted that “this is something new. (Cyber war crimes) should also go to the International Criminal Court (ICC)…” It has not been established if cyberattacks qualify as war crimes under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.  Meanwhile, Alex Kobzanets, the FBI’s assistant legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, said that assisting Ukraine with war crime investigations is the U.S. ambassador’s “biggest priority.”  TheRecord

Senate Intelligence Chair Urges AI Firms To Adopt “Secure-by-Design” Principles.  Senator Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has addressed the major tech companies pursuing AI innovations to put “security at the forefront” of their R&D.  In a set of letters to tech company CEO’s, Warner pressed the tech executives on their approach to application development and data safety.  Of note were Warner’s references to protection of the data supply chain, malign manipulation of training data, and deliberate insertion by adversaries of “bad data” into AI models.   Among other leading AI firms, letters were sent to OpenAI, Meta, Google, Apple and Microsoft.  CyberScoop   VentureBeat

Microsoft President Questions UK as Tech Destination After Activision Bid Blocked. Microsoft President Brad Smith criticized the decision of Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority to block Microsoft’s acquisition of video game giant Activision Blizzard.  Calling into question the UK’s suitability as a technology partner, Smith said "there's a clear message here - the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business if you want some day to sell it than the United Kingdom.”  In its decision, the competition and markets agency declared that Microsoft “failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector.”  The move was seen by observers as a sign that regulators in Britain and other countries are increasingly addressing emerging technologies with the goal of imposing limits before tech giants can establish market dominance.  Reuters   New York Times   Bloomberg

Court Permits Google To Take Down CryptBot Info-Stealing Infrastructure.  A Federal court order empowers Google to take down the CryptBot malware infrastructure that has been used to infect and steal information from Google Chrome users.  The court’s action clears the way for Google to shutter current and future domains associated with CryptBot distribution, thereby “helping curb the number of new infections and decelerating the malware network's growth.”  CryptBot is designed to extract data from victims' computers, including login credentials, credit card information, and other sensitive information.  BleepingComputer    Decipher

Space Force Completes Design for Commercial-Military ‘Outernet’.  The Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC), a Space Force unit, has completed the initial design of a capability aimed at creating an “outernet,” a commercial-military extension of the Internet into space.  With completion of what the SWAC calls the “space data transport force design,” attention can now turn to how the existing architecture of satellite communications can be transitioned to the hybrid goal.   Col. Eric Felt, director of architectures and integration at the Air Force’s space acquisition office, noted that the force design concept envisions concentric circles of linked networks, from highly encrypted military constellations, less secure allied SATCOM’s, and unclassified commercial constellations.  The outernet, Felt said, “gives us real-time command and control and access to our data…game changers in terms of the capabilities that we’re able to deliver to the joint fight.”   BreakingDefense

Industry Cyber Officials Note Growing Potential of Digital-Kinetic Attacks.  Industry CIO’s and security officials are increasingly attuned to the combined threat of cyber and physical attacks on infrastructure and systems.  Elizabeth Hackenson, CIO at Schneider Electric, a firm specializing in energy management and automation, said she has begun working closely with other Schneider security officials to anticipate and plan for hybrid attacks against the company.  Sharing information and analysis across digital and physical boundaries has grown in significance to prevent situations in which a physical attack against a company plant could distract from an accompanying cyberattack.  Dave Komendat, a retired CSO for Boeing, noted that cybersecurity tends to focus on network defenses while corporate security traditionally concerned itself with protection of physical assets.  Consequently, effective thwarting of hybrid threats requires both camps to learn about each other’s jobs and practices.  Wall Street Journal