Tag Archive for: war’

The Russia-Ukraine war is causing some to rethink the role of offensive cyber operations in armed conflict

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The impact of Russia’s offensive cyber operations against Ukraine appears to be muted. (Image credit: Juanmonino via Getty)

For some, the horror of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was also meant to mark the dawn of a new era in modern warfare: one in which degrading your enemy’s capabilities through cyberspace would play an important — perhaps even decisive — role in determining success on the real-world battlefield.

As militaries and societies grew ever more connected to and reliant on the internet to run, so too would the cyberspace domain grow in importance in combat, and nowhere was that supposed to be demonstrated more clearly than in Russia’s war, where their elite and well-resourced military hacking units could cut off Ukraine’s access to power, water and other essential resources, disrupt their communications, wipe out large swaths of private and public sector systems and data, and smooth the way for ground troops to dominate their Ukrainian counterparts.

In reality, the impact of offensive cyber operations appears to have been far more muted.

While the initial invasion did, in fact, come with a flurry of hacking campaigns against many of these targets as Russian troops crossed the border, the cadence of those campaigns have dropped markedly in the months following and have seemingly failed to provide Moscow with any meaningful advantage on the ground.

The experience has some U.S. observers advising that we collectively pump the breaks on the idea — formally endorsed by the U.S. military and others governments — that cyberspace is now a fully fledged domain of war, comparable to land, air, sea and space. That’s one of the chief conclusions reached by Jon Bateman, a former cyber specialist at the Pentagon who has served as an advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense on military and cyber strategy, in a paper released shortly before the new year.

“I think it’s fair for U.S. military and NATO and others to define cyber as an operational domain. That can be a helpful doctrinal concept. I think where it becomes misleading is when military and civilian leaders then assume that cyberspace is as consequential or major as…

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China, Pakistan are together now, if there is war it will be against both: Rahul Gandhi

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that China and Pakistan are preparing together and if there is a war, then it will be against both countries. In a YouTube video on Rahul Gandhi’s channel, while interacting with Armed Forces’ veterans during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress MP said, “China and Pakistan have come together, if there will be any war then it will happen with both, so there will be a major loss for the country. India is now extremely vulnerable. I don’t just have respect for you (Army) but also love and affection for you. You defend this nation. This nation would not exist without you.”

The Congress leader explained, “Earlier we had two enemies China and Pakistan and our policy was to keep them separate. First, it was said that two front war should not happen then people say there is two and a half-front war going on, that is, Pakistan, China and terrorism. Today there is one front that is China and Pakistan which are together. If the war happens it will happen with both. They are working together not only militarily but also economically.” Criticising the Central government over its policies, Rahul Gandhi said, “Our economic system has slowed down after 2014. In our country there is disturbance, fight, confusion and hatred. Our mindset is still that of two and a half-front war. Our mindset is not of joint operability and of cyber warfare. India is now extremely vulnerable. China and Pakistan are both preparing a surprise for us, which is why I keep repeating that the government cannot keep quiet. What happened at the border the government should tell people of the country. What action we have to take we have to start today. Actually, we had to act five years ago but we did not do it. If we don’t act fast, then there will be a big loss. I am extremely concerned with what is happening at the border in Arunachal and Ladakh,” he added.

On December 13, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control in Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo but they went back to their locations due to timely intervention of Indian…

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European Electricity Sector Lacks Cyber Experts as Ukraine War Raises Hacking Risks

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Europe’s power-grid operators say they are struggling to hire cybersecurity experts at a time when the sector is especially vulnerable to hacking threats related to the war in Ukraine. 

The staff shortage is alarming executives, particularly after Ukraine disconnected from Russia’s electric grid in February and linked to continental Europe’s grid, adding new risks that a potential cyberattack could ripple across countries.

“The worry is about cascading effects,” said Gregorz Bojar, chief information officer at

Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne SA,

the operator of Poland’s electricity-transmission system. 

European electricity operators and providers are on alert. The Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have heightened cyber threats in recent years. Hackers hit three German wind-energy companies in the early months of the war, taking down some remote-control systems that monitor turbines. In one case, an attack launched one hour before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 on a

Viasat Inc.

satellite providing internet connections in Ukraine disrupted those systems and took down internet service for thousands of Ukrainians and people in other parts of Europe.

“We can talk about a weaponization of the energy sector,” said Aurélio Blanquet, secretary general of the European Energy Information Sharing and Analysis Center, speaking at a conference in Brussels last month. The center helps energy companies exchange information about cyber threats.

New European laws set to come into force over the next few years will also heighten regulators’ scrutiny of cybersecurity processes at critical infrastructure operators. This, in…

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Latest news on Russia, Ukraine and the war

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U.S. approves potential sale $3.75 billion of M1A1 Abrams tanks to Poland

U.S. Army Abrams tank leaves ship during operation Atlantic Resolve rotation in Riga port, Latvia October 16, 2019.

Ints Kalnins | Reuters

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of 116 General Dynamics made M1A1 Abrams tanks, other vehicles and munitions to Poland in a deal valued at up to $3.75 billion, the Pentagon said.

The sale comes just months after Poland was authorized to buy 250 M1A2 tanks by the same maker. With this new option, Poland could elect to buy a mix of the two tank versions as it seeks to modernize its military and adjust to new geopolitical realities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The package would include vehicles to recover disabled tanks, eight assault bridges and other vehicles. It would also provide thousands of rounds of advanced munitions including armor-piercing rounds, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.

Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

— Reuters

Blinken says U.S. neither encourages nor enables Ukraine to strike inside Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken attends the Freedom of Expression Roundtable, in New York, U.S., September 19, 2022. 

Craig Ruttle | Reuters

The United States has neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, but repeated Washington’s determination to make sure Kyiv has the equipment it needs to defend itself.

A third Russian airfield was ablaze from a drone strike, a day after Ukraine demonstrated an apparent new ability to penetrate hundreds of miles (km) deep into Russian airspace with attacks on two Russian air bases. Kyiv did not directly claim responsibility for the strikes, but nonetheless celebrated them.

— Reuters

At U.N., U.S., Russia accuse each other of no interest in Ukraine talks

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia addresses journalists regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations Headquarters in…

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