The Russia watchInfrastructure weak; deterring Russia; targeting foreign propaganda, and more
· Did Cambridge Analytica leverage Russian disinformation for Trump?
· Infrastructure weak
· Breedlove: Russian election meddling ‘a form of warfare’
· Foreign Office launches extraordinary attack on Russia saying it is spreading ‘lies and disinformation’ over spy poison crisis
· Tammy Baldwin seeks Twitter troll hearing after Russians spread Obama noose image
· Responding to Russia: Deterring Russian cyber and grey zone activities
· New House bills take aim at foreign propaganda
· Hackers ‘led warplanes to Syrian hospital’ after targeting British surgeon’s computer
· What Russian scientists are saying about nerve agents
Did Cambridge Analytica leverage Russian disinformation for Trump? (Justin Hendrix, Slate)
The company has more ties to Russia and Russian interests than it admits.
Infrastructure weak (Fred Kaplan, Slate)
The time to do something about protecting our power plants and waterworks from Russian hackers was 20 years ago.
Breedlove: Russian election meddling ‘a form of warfare’ (Claudia Grisales, Stars and Stripes)
Retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told the House Armed Services Committee that Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election was deeply troubling, though it’s not surprising in light of their long interest in disinformation campaigns. Now, he said it’s up to Americans to acknowledge the threats and develop effective and long overdue strategies to combat these forms of Russian aggression.
Foreign Office launches extraordinary attack on Russia saying it is spreading ‘lies and disinformation’ over spy poison crisis (David Burke, Mirror)
In a string of tweets, the government Twitter account claimed Vladimir Putin’s superpower state had provided ‘no credible explanation’ for the Salisbury attack
Tammy Baldwin seeks Twitter troll hearing after Russians spread Obama noose image (Jason Stein, Milwaukee Journal)
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin called for a hearing Wednesday as new cases emerged of Russian Twitter trolls using racially charged incidents to foment tension in Wisconsin and around the country. The news events spread by fake Russian accounts on social media ranged from the 2015 police shooting of a Madison teenager to a case days before the 2016 presidential election in which a fan at a University of Wisconsin Badgers game came dressed as then-president Barack Obama with a noose around his neck.
Responding to Russia: Deterring Russian cyber and grey zone activities (CSIS)
This is a new kind of conflict we’re in. It’s not the Russian tanks pouring through the Fulda Gap. It’s a different kind of conflict. And we will need different kinds of responses.
New House bills take aim at foreign propaganda (By Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Elias Groll, Robbie Gramer, Foreign Policy)
Two new measures try to provide Americans with greater disclosure about foreign influence.
Hackers ‘led warplanes to Syrian hospital’ after targeting British surgeon’s computer (Hayley Dixon, Aisha Majid, and Steven Swinford, Telegraph)
A British surgeon who helped carry out operations in Aleppo fears that the hacking of his computer led to a hospital being bombed by suspected Russian warplanes. In a world first, renowned consultant David Nott gave remote instructions via Skype and WhatsApp which allowed doctors to carry out surgery in an underground hospital. But, after footage was broadcast by the BBC, Mr Nott believes his computer was targeted, allowing hackers to gain the coordinates of the M10 hospital.
What Russian scientists are saying about nerve agents (Yasmeen Serhan and Siddhartha Mahanta, The Atlantic)
“Your eyes grow narrow, you lose vision. Next is vomiting, breathing problems, and incessant convulsions.”