Dateline Moscow and Kyiv: counteroffensive and referendum.
Ukraine at D+117: Mobilization, annexation, and low morale in the Russian ranks. (CyberWire) Enough Russians have fled the country to avoid conscription to raise concerns about the short- and long-term effect of their departure on the economy. Intercepted phone calls from the combat zones suggest serious morale problems in the Russian army’s ranks.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 218 (Al Jazeera) As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 218th day, we take a look at the main developments.
Russian forces on brink of encirclement in Donetsk town (The Telegraph) The fall of Lyman would be another major military setback for the Kremlin
Russia’s Stripped Its Western Borders to Feed the Fight in Ukraine (Foreign Policy) But Finland and the Baltic states are still leery of Moscow’s long-term designs.
Kyiv slams staged referendum as Russian ‘propaganda show,’ vows retribution (Washington Post) The Ukrainian government on Wednesday denounced Russia’s staged referendums in four partially occupied regions as “a propaganda show” and vowed to track down and punish the organizers, including any Ukrainian citizens, while Moscow proclaimed the votes a major success and basis for annexation.
What to know about Russia’s plans to annex territory in Ukraine (Washington Post) Moscow is moving ahead with plans to annex large swaths of Ukraine, after staging referendums, illegal under international law, that resulted in an outcome that was never in doubt: supposed overwhelming support for joining Russia.
Russia prepares to annex occupied Ukraine despite outcry (AP NEWS) Russia is poised to formally annex areas of Ukraine where it has military control after referendums there reportedly endorsed Moscow’s rule.
The Russian men fleeing mobilization, and leaving everything behind (Washington Post) To escape fighting in Ukraine, the 42-year-old Russian construction worker flew through two countries in four days, spending so much on tickets, so quickly, he lost track of it all. Finally, he ended up in Turkey, where it was safe. As he stopped to breathe Tuesday, on plastic seats in the airport arrival hall, he conceded he had no idea where to go next.
Russians drafted to Ukraine by mistake ‘have only themselves to blame’ (The Telegraph) Recruitment chief claims ‘citizens did not comply with their obligations to keep military records up to date’
Fresh Evidence Emerges of Alleged Russian Atrocities in Once-Occupied Ukraine (Wall Street Journal) More than 400 bodies were found in a mass burial site when Ukrainians took back a town that Russians occupied.
The Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, explained (Vox) The undersea explosions in two gas pipelines from Russia exposed Europe’s vulnerabilities — just as the continent faces a looming energy crisis.
EU vows to protect energy systems after ‘sabotage’ on Russian gas pipelines (Reuters) Any deliberate disruption to the EU’s energy infrastructure would meet a “robust and united response”, its top diplomat said, after several states said two Russian pipelines to Europe that have been churning gas into the Baltic had been attacked.
Nord Stream: Sweden finds new leak in Russian gas pipeline (BBC News) The EU says the leaks are caused by sabotage and promises the “strongest possible response”.
The Race to Find the Nord Stream Saboteurs (WIRED) Damage to the pipeline that runs between Russia and Germany is being treated as deliberate. Finding out what happened may not be straightforward.
‘Everything is pointing to Russia’: U.S., EU officials on edge over pipeline explosions (POLITICO) U.S. officials downplayed the potential for immediate impacts from the leaks hobbling the two Nord Stream natural gas lines. But the incidents are adding to worries about winter.
Nord Stream blasts could herald new phase of hybrid war, say EU politicians (the Guardian) Norway to make military visible at oil and gas installations as bloc rounds on Russia for suspected act of sabotage
Nord Stream pipeline leaks ‘an environmental crime’ (The Telegraph) Leaks began after unexplained ruptures on Monday, which several countries have suggested could be the work of Russia
Finland watching its waters closely after gas pipeline blasts, PM says (Reuters) Finland is watching its territorial waters very closely following explosions of two Nord Stream gas pipelines, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday.
New Ukraine aid will buy 18 HIMARS and weapons to ‘disrupt’ drones (Defense News) The Pentagon announced Wednesday it will contract with industry for $1.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
With a mix of donated weapons, Ukraine’s defenders adapt in war (Air Force Times) Gen. James Hecker, the head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, told reporters Sept. 19 that Russia has lost more than 60 fighter jets in the war so far.
Opinion Putin is limping toward an endgame in Ukraine. Should the West go along? (Washington Post) Sycophancy is the curse of authoritarians. Vladimir Putin has wielded so much power for so long that all streams of information have become polluted. The inner circle draws its comforts and privileges from its skill at telling the leader what he wants to hear; the outer circle — wishing to move inward — observes, and learns to lie.
‘Putin Is a Fool’: Intercepted Calls Reveal Russian Army in Disarray (New York Times) In phone calls to friends and relatives at home, Russian soldiers gave damning insider accounts of battlefield failures and civilian executions, excoriating their leaders just weeks into the campaign to take Kyiv.
Cyber Warfare Rife in Ukraine, But Impact Stays in Shadows (SecurityWeek) Cyber warfare campaigns are being intensely deployed by both sides as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on, though the covert operations have not yet proved decisive on the battlefield.
Russian hackers’ lack of success against Ukraine shows that strong cyber defences work, says cybersecurity chief (ZDNET) In the face of the ‘most sustained and intensive cyber campaign on record’, Ukraine shows that a sound cybersecurity strategy can protect assets in even the most trying circumstances, says NCSC boss.
Failure of Russia’s cyber attacks on Ukraine is most important lesson for NCSC (ComputerWeekly) Russia has so far failed in its attempts to destabilise the Ukraine through cyber attacks due to strength of Ukrainian, security industry and international efforts.
Russia demands answers after Apple kicks VK apps from App Store (BleepingComputer) Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor demanded explanations today from Apple regarding the removal of all VK apps, including the app for the country’s largest social network VKontakte, from its App Store on Monday.
Can Kaspersky survive the Ukraine war? (CyberScoop) The Ukraine war continues to cause problems for Kaspersky, a titan of the antivirus industry accused of having ties to Russian intelligence.
Russia plans transition to home-grown IT (Computing) The Government’s import substitution policy aims to counter Western sanctions by relying on domestic alternatives to software like Windows.
Russia Announces Dubious Plans For Aviation Industry Without Boeing and Airbus (Nasdaq) By most accounts, it’s just another flight of fancy for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia forced to use its own accident-prone jet technology as sanctions hit airlines (The Telegraph) State engineer Rostec moves to end reliance on Boeing and Airbus
UK firm comes to rescue of Russia’s dairy industry (The Telegraph) When milk producers were left crippled, London-listed paper and packaging giant Mondi Group came to the rescue
Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
North Korea-linked voice phishing campaign nets over $600M: UN report (NK News – North Korea News) Voice-phishing hacking applications sold by North Korean IT workers have led to over half-a-billion dollars in losses, a forthcoming U.N. report states, and many victims may be based in South Korea. An unnamed member state told the Panel of Experts that DPRK tech workers have earned funds selling phishing applications overseas. Voice-phishing cases linked to […]
Hacker Groups take to Telegram, Signal and Darkweb to assist Protestors in Iran (Check Point Software) Check Point Research (CPR) sees multiple hacker groups using Telegram, Signal and the darkweb to aid anti-government protestors in Iran bypass regime
Hackers Use Telegram and Signal to Assist Protestors in Iran (Infosecurity Magazine) Key activities are data leaking and selling, including officials’ phone numbers and emails
Hackers Aid Protests Against Iranian Government with Proxies, Leaks and Hacks (The Hacker News) Several hacktivist groups are using Telegram and other tools to aid anti-government protests in Iran to bypass regime censorship restrictions.
Hackers seek to help — and profit from — Iran protests (The Record by Recorded Future) The safety of censorship evasion assistance offered by some hacker groups is unclear.
Detecting the Manjusaka C2 framework (Corelight) In this blog post, the Corelight Labs team shares some of the detection methods available for the Manjusaka C2 framework.
Witchetty: Group Uses Updated Toolset in Attacks on Governments in Middle East (Symantec) Espionage group begins using new backdoor that leverages rarely seen steganography technique.
Witchetty espionage group uses updated toolkit. (CyberWire) Espionage group Witchetty has been seen using a backdoor Trojan that utilizes steganography, along with other new tools.
‘Witchetty’ group targeted Middle Eastern gov’ts, stock exchange of African nation (The Record by Recorded Future) An espionage group is targeting several Middle Eastern governments and the stock exchange of an African country.
Securonix Threat Labs Security Advisory: Detecting STEEP#MAVERICK: New Covert Attack Campaign Targeting Military Contractors (Securonix) Securonix Threat Research team recently discovered a new covert attack campaign targeting…
