Russia

Countering Russian Cyber Operations

Conrad Prince CB

The coordinated international action targeting hostile Russian cyber operations represents a real determination by Western governments not to leave cyber an uncontested space for Russia. But the question remains as to what steps governments can take that will actually deter Russia from continuing their hostile cyber operations.

"Emily Ferris, from the Royal United Services Institute defence think tank, said: "GRU is one of three of Russia's intelligence agencies whose activities often overlap, the others are the Federal Security Services (FSB) and the Foreign Intelligence Services (SVR). The FSB has a broader remit, including counter-terrorism, border control and domestic surveillance, but all the agencies are in competition for resources and funding." "

GRU Russia: The spy agency and global cyber-attacks explained

"“It is significant,” said Ewan Lawson, a cyber warfare analyst from the Royal United Services Institute, the UK think-tank. “While the US tend to indict and name and shame, the UK has been reluctant to do that up to now.” "

UK blames ‘reckless’ cyber attacks on Russia’s GRU spy agency

"“By launching disruptive operations that threaten life in target societies, they blur the line between war and peace,” explained Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). "

West accuses Russia of global hacking conspiracy

Vostok’s Weak Optics Reveal Russia and China’s Fractured Relationship

Emily Ferris and Veerle Nouwens

The joint Russia–China Vostok exercises demonstrated some military cooperation between the two. However, the more significant event was the concomitant Eastern Economic Forum, an investment forum hosted in Russia’s Far East. Amid a depressed economy, Russia is attempting to encourage Chinese investment in the Far East, but many deals with China have fallen through and large-scale investment is...

""It would be very unlikely that the Israelis were trying to engineer a situation where the Syrians shot down a Russian plane," Bronk said, but perhaps they did intend to use the Il-20 overhead to convince Syria not to shoot. "The S-200 is not a very sophisictated system," said Bronk. "It's not going to distinguish between a fighter and a big plane." "

Syria's air defenses kill 15 Russian airmen in the latest embarrassing blunder