Thursday, March 2, 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:
In the Americas
Blinken and Lavrov Meet on Sidelines of G20 Summit. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for a brief 10 minute exchange on the sidelines of a G20 summit in India on Thursday. The meeting was the first in person exchange between the two top diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war. A senior US State Department official familiar with the exchange said Blinken reiterated to Lavrov that the US supports a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine war that maintains Kyiv’s territorial integrity. The official said that Blinken also urged Lavrov to support Moscow’s return to the New START nuclear arms treaty and accept a US proposal for the release of Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia. The official did not mention Lavrov’s responses and the Russian foreign ministry only confirmed the meeting happened without providing details. Diplomats at the G20 summit ultimately failed to release a consensus communique over disagreements from Russia and China on language criticizing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Associated Press New York Times Washington Post
White House Releases New Cyber Strategy. The White House announced a new cybersecurity strategy on Thursday. The strategy widely calls for stronger cybersecurity practices across industries to bolster cyber defenses through stronger regulation. It also calls on software makers and technology companies to be more liable for cyber vulnerabilities in their products, shifting blame for cyber incidents away from small businesses and local governments. The strategy additionally names China and Russia as the main cybersecurity threats to the US and lays out plans to counter Russian hackers. The strategy also calls for stronger cyber collaboration with partners and allies to pressure Russia and other cyber threat actors. CNN New York Times Reuters The White House
US Explores Support For China Sanctions Over Russia Support. The US is reportedly consulting with allies about imposing sanctions on China if it provides lethal aid to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine. Officials and sources familiar with the matter say talks with various countries, especially G7 nations, are in preliminary stages. It is currently unclear what potential sanctions on China would look like. The US has in recent weeks warned that Beijing is considering sending arms to Russia amid the Ukraine war, which China has denied. Reuters
Top Putin Ally Visits Cuba. Russia’s TASS news agency reports that Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cuba on Wednesday. Patrushev reportedly met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and former Communist Party leader Raul Castro. The visit comes as Russia seeks to shore up ties with partners as it deals with isolation from the West over its invasion of Ukraine. Reuters
UN Appoints Special Envoy for Haiti. The UN on Wednesday appointed Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Isabel Salvadaor the new UN Special Representative to Haiti and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). Salvador is taking over the position from the former envoy Helen La Lime. The appointment comes as countries discuss forming a special “rapid action force” to help the Haitian police counter armed gangs. Reuters
Western Europe
Blinken Condemns Russia for War Crimes in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken virtually addressed a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday where he condemned Russia for committing war crimes in Ukraine. Blinken told the Human Rights Council that its commission of inquiry to investigate alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine was proving essential to providing impartial evidence on the issue. New York Times
Russia Claims US Used Nuclear Arms Control Treaty to Support Ukraine. In a counter to Blinken, Sergey Ryabkov, the Russian envoy to a UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, accused the US of using the New START nuclear arms control treaty to “probe” Russian nuclear facilities to help Ukraine plan attacks on them. Rybakov explained that Russian suspended participation in the treaty, which allowed the US and Russia to inspect each other’s nuclear sites, for this reason. Ryabkov added that Russia will not be the first to test a nuclear device but will do so if the US does, adding that Moscow “should be prepared for the worst.” New York Times Reuters
Central and Eastern Europe
Bakhmut Situation ‘Critical’ as Ukrainian Defenders Resist Russian Assault. Ukrainian troops are reportedly maintaining their defensive positions in the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut amid intense Russian attacks. Ukrainian officials say that they are sending reinforcements to bolster the city's defenses, though they have not provided any specifics as to the role of the new arrivals. Observers say the reinforcements may be used to dig in and hold territory in the area for as long as possible to maximize Russian losses, or they could be used as logistical support for a potential Ukrainian withdrawal from the city. An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suggested earlier this week that Ukraine could pull back from Bakhmut as the situation there grows more difficult. CNN New York Times Reuters
Russian Strike on Zaporizhzhia Kills Three People. A Russian missile strike on a five-story apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least three people on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the latest shelling attack occurred while it was still dark and that several of the building’s floors were destroyed in the strike. Euronews Washington Post
Russia Claims Ukraine Conducted Cross-Border Raid into Russia Russia has accused Ukrainian saboteurs of taking Russian civilians hostage in a cross-border raid. Russia’s FSB security force said the alleged operation took place in Bryansk province north of the Ukrainian border and that the area is back “under control.” Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the alleged attack on Ukrainian “terrorists and neo-Nazis,” adding that they deliberately targeted and “opened fire” on Russian civilians, including a child. Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, dismissed the Russian reports of the raid as “a classic deliberate provocation” to justify Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine. However, Podolyak also inferred that the attack may have been carried out by Russian partisans. Reuters Washington Post
Asia
US Approves $619 Million in New Military Support for Taiwan Amid New Chinese Incursions. The US State Department approved the potential sale of $619 million worth of new weapons for Taiwan. The package reportedly includes hundreds of missiles, including air-to-air missiles for Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jet fleet. The arms sale aims to support Taiwan’s military modernization and boost the island’s defensive capabilities. The announcement of the proposed sale followed a series of incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air identification zone. DoD DSCA Reuters
Taiwan Reports Further Incursions by Chinese Warplanes Into Air Defense Zone. Taiwan reported on Thursday that Chinese military aircraft violated the island’s air defense zone for a second day-in-a-row. Taiwan’s defense ministry said that 21 Chinese warplanes, including 17 Chengdu J-10 fighters and four Shenyang J-16 fighters, flew into the southwest of the island’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the last 24 hours. The ministry says that another 8 Chinese aircraft and 4 Chinese naval vessels were also spotted near Taiwan’s coast during this time, though they did not enter the island’s ADIZ. Al Jazeera
Concerns Rise Over Russian Uranium Delivery For Chinese Fast-Breeder Reactor. Bloomberg is out with a report on Russia’s reported deliveries of nuclear fuel to China’s CFR-600 fast-breeder reactor on Changbiao island off Taiwan’s northern coast. According to the report, Pentagon officials say Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom sent 6,477 kilograms of uranium to China last December, which could be used at the reactor. US intelligence officials have raised concerns over the reactor as it could help China produce weapons-grade plutonium to quadruple its nuclear weapon stockpile over the next 12 years, putting its atomic arsenal on par with the US and Russia. Bloomberg
Vietnam Parliament Elects New President. Vietnam’s National Assembly elected Vo Nan Thuong as Vietnam’s new president on Thursday. Thuong’s election came after his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc suddenly resigned in January. Phuc left the position after Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party blamed him for “violations and wrongdoings” by officials under his control as part of the country’s anti-corruption campaign. Reuters
Middle East and Northern Africa
British Navy Seizes Iranian Arms in Gulf. The British Navy announced on Thursday that it had seized Iranian weapons from a smuggling vessel in the Gulf of Oman last month. The British Ministry of Defense said the vessel was first detected by an unmanned US intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance plane and then tracked by a British helicopter. The vessel attempted to return to Iranian waters but was intercepted by British Royal Marines, who boarded the vessel and recovered the suspected Iranian arms from the ship. Britain said the weapons included Iranian anti-tank guided missiles and components for medium-range ballistic missiles. Reuters
US Pressuring Israel Over Hardline Minister’s Threats Against Palestinian Village. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday that the Palestinian village of Huwara should be “erased.” His comments came in response to questions about a rampage by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Huwara, which an Israeli general described as a “pogrom.” The US State Department denounced Smotrich’s remarks and called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to disavow the comments. Smotrich has since issued a statement saying his comments have been misinterpreted by the media, saying that Israeli security forces should handle dealing with the terrorist threat in Huawara, without retracting his call for the village to be erased. Al Jazeera Reuters Times of Israel
Sub Saharan Africa
US, African Forces Launch Annual Counter-Terrorism Drills. US troops and African forces began annual joint counter-terrorism exercises in Ghana on Wednesday. US Africa Command said that the drills, known as Flintlock, aim to strengthen participating countries’ abilities to defend their borders and counter extremist organizations. The training comes amid escalating Islamist insurgencies in West Africa. Reuters
Cyber & Tech
House Committee Approves TikTok Ban. The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 in favor of a bill that could facilitate a ban on TikTok from all mobile devices in the United States. The bill would give the president the authority to ban any foreign-owned applications. The measure would also impose sanctions on companies linked to TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps. All Democrats on the committee unanimously voted against the bill, with some saying they want more dialogue on the bill and that policy on TikTok should go through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) review process. Politico Reuters
China Criticizes Bans on TikTok. China’s foreign ministry condemned US restrictions on TikTok as an abuse of state power to suppress foreign countries. A ministry spokesperson said bans and limits on TikTok demonstrated broader insecurities in Washington and called for the US to respect “fair competition.” Associated Press The Hill
CISA-Sponsored “Red Team” Undetected In Critical Infrastructure Breach. CISA reported Tuesday that hackers working for the agency breached a “large critical infrastructure organization” last year. The report marks the first time CISA published an advisory based on one of its “red team” operations. CISA highlighted that its red team was able to infiltrate and maintain persistent access into the targeted organization’s network without being detected, though its attack was eventually limited by the organization’s defenses, such as multi-factor authentication obstacles. The simulated attack underscores cyber threats to critical infrastructure entities and the importance of their cyber defenses. The Record
Washington State Public Bus System Hit by Ransomware Attack. Pierce Transit, a public transportation system serving Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding Pierce County area, confirmed that a ransomware attack disrupted some of its systems two weeks ago. Pierce Transit said all of its transportation systems are now operating as normal, and the majority of operations have been fully restored. The LockBit ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded a ransom by February 28. The Record
Belgium Blames China for Spear Phishing Attack on Belgian MP. Belgium’s cybersecurity agency, the Centre for Cyber Security Belgium (CCB) has linked Chinese hackers from a group known as “APT31” to a 2021 cyberattack on Belgian MP Samuel Cogolati. The attack came in a spear phishing email campaign and occurred after Cogolati drafted a resolution condemning “crimes against humanity” being carried out by China against Uyghur Muslims. Financial Times
Western Equipment Shortages Slow Russian Internet Speeds Outside Moscow. News and analysis firm Telecom Daily released research on Wednesday that shows Russian mobile internet speeds have dropped in areas outside of Moscow over recent months. Telecom Daily said it attributed the drop to the departure of foreign equipment makers from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, which has limited Russian operators’ access to essential hardware. MTS and Megafon, Russia’s main telecommunications operators, disputed the findings and said they had observed increased internet speeds across Russia since the invasion. Reuters
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