Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says
Key developments of Sept. 7:
National Guard reports Russia moving troops to the southern front line to 'strengthen defense'
Ukrainian flag raised in two settlements in Kharkiv Oblast near border with Russia
Zelensky introduces Umerov as Ukraine's new defense minister, addresses key tasks
Official: Ukrainian women with medical education to be considered eligible for military enlistment
According to Colonel Mykola Urshalovych, an official within the National Guard, Russia is relocating its troops to the southern front line from other sectors as Ukrainian forces continue to advance in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
He also said that the Russian troops are reinforcing the units currently holding the Russian line in the Berdiansk and Melitopol sectors.
His announcement follows the report of Ukraine's General Staff that Ukrainian forces had achieved some success south of Robotyne and west of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
No further details have been provided.
Verbove lies around 10 kilometers east of the recently liberated Robotyne and almost 100 kilometers northeast of Melitopol, a key stronghold in Russian-occupied parts of southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian flag raised in two settlements near Russian border
The State Border Guard Service reported that it had raised the Ukrainian flag in the villages of Stroivka and Topoli in Kharkiv Oblast, located near the Russian border.
Due to mines, the two settlements have been inaccessible since the liberation of Kharkiv Oblast in the fall of last year.
An Assault Brigade entered the villages after clearing out a safe path toward them, the State Border Guard wrote on Telegram.
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CNN Exclusive: ‘How am I in this war?’: New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire’s Ukraine dilemma
Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet, according to an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled “Elon Musk.”
As Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,” Isaacson writes.
Musk’s decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, a fear driven home by Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials, according to Isaacson, whose new book is set to be released by Simon & Schuster on September 12.
Musk’s concerns over a “mini-Pearl Harbor” as he put it, did not come to pass in Crimea. But the episode reveals the unique position Musk found himself in as the war in Ukraine unfolded. Whether intended or not, he had become a power broker US officials couldn’t ignore.
The new book from Isaacson, the author of acclaimed biographies of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, provides fresh insights into Musk and how his existential dread of sparking a wider war drove him to spurn Ukrainian requests for Starlink systems they could use to attack the Russians.
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Drone attacked one of the largest microelectronics factories in Russia
A Ukrainian drone attacked an industrial facility in Bryansk, regional governor Oleksandr Bogomaz said. According to the Mash telegram channel, the Kremniy-EL plant, which is considered one of the largest microelectronics enterprises in Russia, was attacked.
Kremniy-EL is located in the west of Bryansk. This plant specializes in the production of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and power modules. Local residents reported smoke in the area of the plant.
As a result of the incident, the administrative building caught fire, and no one was injured. At the moment, firefighters and other emergency services are actively working at the scene, the official confirmed.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense (AD) assets successfully intercepted two UAVs over the city. One of them was destroyed in the air before it could do any damage.
This is not the first case of an attack on Kremniy-EL. According to Mash, a drone was also sent to the plant at the end of August and it was one of the largest drone attacks on the Russian regions.
On September 7, two more drone attacks on Bryansk were recorded. In the morning, one of the UAVs was successfully shot down by air defense forces, but the wreckage of the device caused damage to the building of the Bryansk-1 railway station, as well as the station square and some cars. In the afternoon, another drone crashed near the station, but no losses were recorded due to the actions of electronic warfare.
Russian Businessman Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison in $93 Million Hack-to-Trade Conspiracy
A Russian businessman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his involvement in an elaborate hack-to-trade scheme that netted approximately $93 million through securities trades based on confidential corporate information stolen from U.S. computer networks.
Vladislav Klyushin, a/k/a “Vladislav Kliushin,” 42, of Moscow, Russia, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to nine years in prison. Klyushin was also ordered to forfeit $34,065,419 and pay restitution in an amount that will be determined at a later date. In February 2023, Klyushin was convicted by a federal jury of securities fraud, wire fraud, gaining unauthorized access to computers, and conspiracy to commit those crimes. Klyushin was arrested in Sion, Switzerland in March 2021 and extradited to the United States in December 2021.
Klyushin was charged along with two Russian co-conspirators: Ivan Ermakov and Nikolai Rumiantcev. Two others, Mikhail Vladimirovich Irzak and Igor Sergeevich Sladkov, were charged in a separate indictment. All four co-conspirators remain at large. In July 2018, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. indicted Ermakov in connection with his alleged role in a scheme to interfere with the 2016 United States elections by way of computer hacking. In October 2018, Ermakov was also charged by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh in connection with his alleged role in hacking and related disinformation operations targeting international anti-doping agencies, sporting federations and anti-doping officials.
“Mr. Klyushin hacked into American computer networks to obtain confidential corporate information that he used to make money illegally in the American stock market,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “He thought he could get away with his crimes by perpetrating them from a foreign base, hidden behind layers of fake domain names, virtual private networks, and computer servers rented under pseudonyms and paid for with cryptocurrency. He found out otherwise, and will now spend nearly a decade of his life in a U.S. prison. This case should send a message to criminals around the world that their location does not provide anonymity and the reach of American law enforcement is long. Anyone who defrauds American companies, markets or investors, will be found and prosecuted, regardless of where they hide, or how long it takes.”
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US, UK take new action against Russia's 'Trickbot' cyber gang
he United States and Britain have sanctioned additional members of a Russian hacking gang known as Trickbot and U.S. officials have indicted nine people with ties to the group's malicious software and the Conti ransomware schemes, the U.S. Treasury Department and the British Foreign Office said on Thursday.
The two countries previously imposed sanctions against seven leading members of Trickbot in February, noting the group's role in targeting hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the U.S. government and American companies.
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Investigation: Clown attack. Who is really behind the "cyber army of Russia" Killnet
In mid-June, the hacker group Killnet announced that it was preparing to “put down” the European banking system. “If God rules Russia, then who rules Europe? That's right, the banking system. [...] No money, no weapons, no Kyiv regime! [...] You have never seen such problems before. We are Killnet,” they said in the video. Several months passed, and nothing happened to the banking system. As it has not happened before either with NATO, or with the United States, or with the governments of European countries, or with Ukraine. Killnet threatened all of them with hacks, data leaks, and destruction of the IT infrastructure. The group declared itself a "Russian cyber army", but so far its success is about the same as that of a conventional army. As The Insider found out, behind the group promoted by the Kremlin media are not very lucky amateurs, and their few successes were ensured by the forces of the GRU hackers.
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https://theins.ru/obshestvo/264744
Suspected Chinese operatives using AI generated images to spread disinformation among US voters, Microsoft says
Suspected Chinese operatives have used images made by artificial intelligence to mimic American voters online in an attempt to spread disinformation and provoke discussion on divisive political issues as the 2024 US election approaches, Microsoft analysts warned Thursday.
In the last nine months, the operatives have posted striking AI-made images depicting the Statute of Liberty and the Black Lives Matter movement on social media, in a campaign that Microsoft said focuses on “denigrating U.S. political figures and symbols.”
The alleged Chinese influence network used a series of accounts on “Western” social media platforms to upload the AI-generated images, according to Microsoft. The images were fake and generated by a computer, but real people, whether wittingly or unwittingly, propagated the images by reposting them on social media, Microsoft said.
Microsoft said the social media accounts were “affiliated” with the Chinese Communist Party.
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https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/chinese-operatives-ai-images-social-media/index.html
Son of Medvedev appointed to hand out passports in the occupied territories of Ukraine
The son of the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Ilya Medvedev, oversaw the creation of a portal through which residents of Russian occupied regions of Ukraine obtain Russian passports.
“Ilya Medvedev, on behalf of the party (United Russia), coordinated the implementation of the project to create the portal “I am in Russia” for residents of Russian-occupied territories, which was initiated by the decision of the General Council of United Russia in May this year,” the party’s press service told RBC.
Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to distribute passports to residents of the occupied regions of Ukraine in May 2022. In the spring of this year, he signed a decree according to which Ukrainians in the territories occupied by Russia must receive passports by July 1, 2024.
Note: Ilya Medvedev is sanctioned by the United States but has yet to be sanctioned by the European Union
GRU officer operating under diplomatic cover in Denmark revealed
Vladimir Grekov, a battle hardened spetsnaz soldier and GRU colonel, is Russia’s new military attaché in Copenhagen
While Russia is waging its war of aggression against Ukraine, it has sent a highly decorated, battle-hardened elite soldier and GRU officer to Denmark under diplomatic cover.
A joint investigation by Information and the Dutch newspaper NRC reveals the true background of Russia’s new military attaché in Copenhagen, colonel Vladimir Grekov, who was accepted as a diplomat by the Danish authorities in February this year.
Leaked information obtained through the Dossier Center shows that mr. Grekov has a background in the special forces of the Russian airborne troops (VDV) and as a manager in the headquarters of the Russian military intelligence service. Intelligence sources consulted by Information and NRC have confirmed that Vladimir Grekov is known to them as an officer of the GRU.
Grekov’s background in the Spetsnaz should be a particular concern for the Danish authorities, analysts say.
»I imagine that the Danish Security and Intelligence Service is aware of what such a man is capable of doing, and what he will certainly try to do. It will probably involve operational and subversive activities, perhaps even hybrid warfare,« said Jacob Kaarsbo, a former chief analyst at the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE).
The exiled Russian journalist and author Andrei Soldatov, who is an expert on the Russian intelligence services, expresses himself even more dramatically.
»You have to understand that when you bring in someone with experience in special operations, it is not just about gathering intelligence. That’s when arms depots will mysteriously start to explode,« he said.
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Commanders of the army and division were arrested on charges of bribery
As it became known to Kommersant, Major General Konstantin Ogienko, until recently the commander of the 1st Order of Lenin Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army, which protects the sky over the capital region, was placed in a pre-trial detention center on charges of bribery. The investigation believes that the commander of the 4th Air Defense Division, Major General Dmitry Belyatsky, on behalf of Commander Ogienko, organized a bribe for the allocation of defense land to a civilian organization. The generals counted on 30 million rubles, but they got only 500 thousand rubles. Now the TFR and the Ministry of Defense are checking the safety of land plots owned by the air defense army, believing that some of them could be sold for development.
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6199134
A close Russian ally snubbed Putin by announcing military exercises with the US — the latest in a series of embarrassments for the president
Armenia will host a joint military exercise with the US later this month.
The country is a longtime Russian ally but has repeatedly expressed its frustration with it.
This includes threatening to leave the Russia-led CSTO and refusing to host its military drills.
Armenia, long considered a close Russian ally, will host a joint military exercise with the US later this month, the latest in a series of apparent snubs by the country toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Armenia's defense ministry said the exercise, named "Eagle Partner 2023," is designed to help prepare its forces to join international peacekeeping missions, and will take place between September 11 and 20.
A US military spokesperson told Reuters that 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenian soldiers will take part in the exercise.
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https://www.businessinsider.com/armenia-russia-ally-train-with-us-troops-after-putin-snubs-2023-9
Musk is really a simpleton. He called Russian officials, told them about Ukraine’s plans, and he was told that Russia would definitely respond with nuclear weapons. It’s childlike thinking. So easy to manipulate.
And the way he handled asking the U.S. government or Ukraine to pay more for Starlink systems and service was to throw a public hissy fit. All he had to do was ask privately, and he would get what he wanted. What an idiot.
Also, he keeps insisting that peace is the answer. Yes, you’re right, Elon! Tell that to the enemy!