Putin's money now in the crosshairs, Zelenskyy plans to stay in Kyiv - CNBC

Russian forces are closing in on Kyiv as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine continues. The United States and its European allies, meanwhile, have decided to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin directly.

Kyiv officials warned residents in the capital's northern Obolon district not to go outside on Friday due to "the approach of active hostilities." Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense urged people in the area to either take shelter or make petrol bombs to "neutralize the occupier."

It came as Ukrainian officials blew up bridges leading into Kyiv to prevent Russian troops infiltrating the capital.

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Russian vigilante hacker: 'I want to help beat Ukraine from my computer' - BBC News

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"This site can't be reached."

That was the message greeting visitors to dozens of Ukrainian websites on Wednesday afternoon.

From 16:00 local time webpages for banks and government ministries started going down.

Naturally, fingers quickly pointed towards Moscow - Russia's cyber army once again accused of hacking to spread fear and confusion online as troops massed on Ukraine's borders.

But the BBC has learned that at least some of the cyber-attacks that afternoon and since have come not from the Kremlin but from groups of so called "patriotic" Russian hackers.

They work in small groups without direct orders from the Russian state and are intent on adding to the chaos in cyber-space.

By day, Dmitry (not his real name) works for a respectable Russian cyber-security company.

On Wednesday afternoon he finished work helping protect his customers from malicious hackers and went home for the night.

But while watching the unfolding cyber-attacks against Ukraine, he decided to assemble his hacking team and get stuck in.

"Considering everyone is attacking Ukraine servers. I am thinking we should cause some disruption too?" he posted on social media.

He says his team of six hackers then temporarily brought down a number of Ukrainian government websites, by flooding servers with data in denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

The BBC witnessed the crew temporarily take one Ukrainian military web page offline.

Dmitry says they communicate on encrypted channels and "never speak in person" even though two of them work at the same cyber-security firm.

"If my employer found out I would not have a job," he says.

This wasn't the first bit of vigilante hacking the group had done in recent days.

In the past week, Dmitry says they have carried out DDoS attacks, emailed 20 bomb threats to schools, hacked into the live dashboard feeds of an unidentified Ukrainian "rapid response team" and found a way to set up official emails using a Ukrainian government email service.

The BBC was able to confirm that they have control of at least one email address ending @mail.gov.ua. The hackers say they plan to use it to carry out targeted phishing attacks.

More attacks coming

They are also warning of more disruption and distress as they release stolen undisclosed data.

"This is just the beginning," says Dmitry, over an encrypted call, using a voice distorter. "You've got to understand we are being careful and watching what we do at the moment. We could launch ransomware but we haven't yet."

SSSCIP Ukraine

Ransomware attacks which scramble the data on computer networks are far more serious than the sorts of things Dmitry's team have done so far.

Ethical hacker and cyber-security lecturer Katie Paxton-Fear has looked over the material the hackers have shared.

"These hackers appear to be targeting known vulnerabilities. It's like they've got a huge pair of binoculars and are trying to find weak points in any Ukrainian system they can find.

"The hacking they are doing isn't very sophisticated, but that doesn't mean their attacks won't cause a potential distraction to security teams who are already very busy and stressed."

Ukraine has been repeatedly hit by low level cyber-attacks since the start of the year.

Cyber attacks at a glance:

• On Friday 14 January about 70 government websites were hit with a DDoS attack. Some displayed a message warning Ukrainians to "prepare for the worst". Access to most of the sites was restored within hours. Kyiv blamed Russia for the attacks.
• On 15 and 16 February more DDoS attacks temporarily took down websites for two banks and the Ukrainian army. The UK and US said that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) was almost certainly involved".
• On Wednesday 23 February websites for numerous government ministries and financial services organisations were hit with another wave of DDoS attacks. Security researchers also discovered a more serious 'wiper' tool being used on a small number of computers to wipe all data from them.
• On Friday 25 February Ukraine's cyber defence force issued a warning on social media about a widespread attempt to infect citizens with malicious software: "a phishing attack has started against Ukrainians! Citizens' e-mail addresses receive letters with attached files of uncertain nature." The authorities blamed Russian-allied Belarusian hackers.

Dmitry would not confirm his exact age or where he lives.

He says members of the crew are not worried about being caught and that in fact they hope that the Russian cyber-military is watching.

SSSCIP Ukraine

"I think there are certain people in our government who will be very pleased with what we're doing.

"I would like to work with Russian cyber-authorities, but I would need to think about it first. I can tell you that one mistake could cost you your life when you work for them."

He says he is motivated by the war and wants to "help beat Ukraine from behind my computer whilst they die in the streets".

Hackers wanted

Reuters reported on Thursday that requests for volunteers had begun to appear on hacker forums, asking people to help protect critical infrastructure in Ukraine and to conduct "cyber-spying missions".

One popular Twitter group run by members of the disparate hacker group, Anonymous, also posted on Thursday that it is "officially in cyber-war against the Russian government".

Already some minor activity against Russia has been seen online.

Internet connectivity watchers NetBlocks tweeted on Thursday evening that "multiple government websites in Russia including the Kremlin and the State Duma have fallen offline".

According to one source versed in underground hacker forums, a "Ukrainian cyber-army and a handful of Ukrainian hacktivists" caused disruption to Russian military website http://mil.ru/.

It's not clear if the sites were forced offline globally or switched to only allow Russia-based computers to access them.

Cyber warnings

Russian government cyber-security authorities issued a rare alert to citizens and businesses saying: "In the current tense geopolitical situation, we expect an increase in the intensity of computer attacks on Russian information resources, including critical information infrastructure facilities."

The warning echoes those of UK and US security teams who are warning of increased likelihood of so called "overspill" cyber-attacks that start in Ukraine and spread to other countries.

However, Andrew Morris, founder of Grey Noise Intelligence, says his researchers are seeing hacker attention concentrated overwhelmingly on one country.

"We're seeing lots of computers around the internet that are probably trying to cause as much damage and hack as many computers located in one particular area as possible, and that particular area happens to be the country of Ukraine."

He says hundreds of computers are constantly scanning Ukrainian networks for weaknesses. He is unable to say with certainty where they are located, but Russia must be among the prime suspects.

"Russia deploys their hackers in way that's less 'one big government organisation' and more a group of people with overlap with criminals," he says. "They're good at causing problems for Russia's strategic enemies. That scares me."

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How Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky went from star satirical TV actor to the Kremlin's 'target number one' - CNN

(CNN)Volodymyr Zelensky approached a lectern under bright lights, preparing to deliver a message to the Ukrainian people.

"Today I will start with long-awaited words, which I wish to announce with pride," he said.

"Finally," he continued. "Ukraine is United ... This is our victory."

The speech was fiction. It is from the closing scene of "Servant of the People," a satirical TV show about a down-on-his-luck high-school teacher, played by Zelensky, who is thrust into the Ukrainian presidency after his rant about corruption goes viral.

The series didn't just make Zelensky a star. It eventually served as the springboard for his real-life presidential campaign. In April 2019, within a month of the show's finale, the comedian-turned politician was elected Ukraine's president.

Zelensky again found himself in front of a lectern Friday, but the picture he outlined in the show's final moments has never felt further away after Russian forces invaded Ukraine Thursday.

The battle for the capital, Kyiv, continued to rage Friday. Explosions lit up the sky as the Kremlin targeted the city with missile strikes before dawn, forcing people into air raid shelters.

In his Friday morning televised address, Zelensky was again a man in character, this time playing David to Russian President Vladimir Putin's Goliath. In a dark green tee shirt with dark circles under his eyes, the Ukrainian president struck a defiant tone and praised the country's armed forces for "brilliantly defending the country."

"Now is an important moment," Zelensky said. "The fate of our country is being decided."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a statement in Kyiv on Friday.

'This gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis'

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began early Thursday. Moscow's forces attacked by land, sea and air, prompting a barrage of international condemnation and sanctions -- and questions about Putin's wider ambitions for Ukraine and its capital.

Putin framed the "military operation" as a necessary action after the United States and its allies crossed Russia's "red lines" by expanding NATO eastward.

Zelensky on Friday again called for Putin to hold direct talks.

"There is fighting all over Ukraine now. Let's sit down at the negotiation table to stop the people's deaths," he said in Russian.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia was ready to take part in talks in Minsk, according to reporting by Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti. An adviser to Zelensky told CNN that Kyiv is considering the proposal.

Ukraine's democratically elected government remains intact, but Putin has made it clear this week that he does not see Ukraine as a legitimate sovereign state. On Friday he called on Ukrainians to overthrow Zelensky themselves.

"Take power into your own hands," Putin said. "It looks like it will be easier for us to come to an agreement (with you) than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis that has settled in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people."

Putin and his government have repeatedly put forward baseless and inaccurate claims that the democratically elected Ukrainian government is a "fascist" or "Nazi" regime. Zelensky is Jewish and had family members die in the Holocaust.

Putin's comments are unlikely to spur any sort of Ukrainian uprising. Many of Kyiv's residents have left the city, and those that remain are unlikely to support him, considering Ukraine's last pro-Russian leader was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014.

Zelensky was elected five years later, thrashing incumbent Petro Poroshenko, but his tenure has been rocky. The first several months of his term were engulfed by the quid-pro-quo scandal which saw former US President Donald Trump's attempt to exert pressure on Ukraine to dig up dirt on election opponent and now-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Covid-19 then tore through the country. Zelensky's campaign promises, such as ending the war in eastern Ukraine and stamping out corruption, remain unfilled.

But the danger Zelensky faces is no longer just political.

US officials warned lawmakers that Russian forces who entered Ukraine through Belarus were about 20 miles away from Kyiv, sources told CNN.

And intelligence officials in Washington are concerned the city could fall under Russian control within days. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Zelensky remains a "prime target for Russian aggression," while Zelensky himself said Russia had marked him as their "number one target."

"They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state," he said.

CNN's Anna Chernova, Kara Fox, Helen Regan and Nathan Hodge contributed to this report.

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India stays silent on Russian invasion of Ukraine, to apparent frustration of Biden administration - The Washington Post

NEW DELHI — Since Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed a large-scale attack against Ukraine on Thursday, the Biden administration has sought to rally allies and partners to condemn Russian aggression and join in trade and financial sanctions.

One country that has conspicuously rebuffed Biden’s appeals is India, a rising Asian power that relies on Moscow for almost all its advanced weapons.

For years, India has juggled its close relations with Russia — an enduring legacy of the Cold War — with its fast-growing ties with the United States, which has envisioned India as a crucial partner in its long-term strategy to counter China’s rise.

But India’s balancing act is proving increasingly difficult this week as Russian tanks and fighters bear down on Kyiv in a war that has drawn a thick line between the West and Russia, with only China as Moscow’s major economic and diplomatic backer.

While Japan, Australia and the United States all unveiled new export bans against Russia on Thursday and Friday, India — the fourth leg of the grouping known as the Quad — demurred, highlighting a glaring fissure in one of the key American partnerships that Biden has pledged to repair and strengthen.

In remarks Thursday, Biden urged countries to take a stand against Putin, saying that “any nation that countenances Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be stained by association.” The United States was pressing India about its stance toward Russia, Biden told reporters. “We haven’t resolved that completely,” he added.

Shortly after Biden spoke, the State Department said Secretary Antony Blinken held a call with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to discuss “the importance of a strong collective response to Russian aggression.” India issued only a terse acknowledgment that the call took place.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Putin and called for “concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations,” according to a readout from the Indian government. Modi’s language diverged sharply from the Western characterization of the Russian attack as a one-sided, unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation.

Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corp. think tank, said the Quad grouping — a cornerstone of Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China — “could easily fray.” In recent weeks, other Quad nations have condemned Moscow as Russian troops massed around Ukraine — but not India.

The Russian operation “is clearly breaking the rules-based order, which is whole reason the Quad got together in the first place,” Grossman said. “For India to continue to sit on the sidelines — that’s going to become increasingly an untenable position if they want to maintain good ties not just with the Quad but also Europe.”

Indian sympathies for Russia — and Russia’s support for India — reach back to the early decades of the Cold War, when Washington often sided with India’s archrival, Pakistan, over issues including the contested Kashmir region. In 1971, when India fought Pakistan over Bangladesh, the United States backed Pakistan in part because it was a crucial party to a plan by President Richard Nixon to secretly establish relations with China. In the ensuing years, Indian military imports from the Soviet Union soared, while at the diplomatic level, it maintained a stated policy of nonalignment.

Today, Russia has leased a nuclear submarine to India. Russian scientists are helping develop India’s hypersonic missile program. Russian T-90 tanks form the backbone of India’s ground forces, and Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets are mainstays in its air force. The Indian navy’s flagship is an aircraft carrier — a “Kiev-class” — purchased from Russia.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia is by far India’s largest arms supplier, accounting for 70 percent of India’s imports between 2011 and 2015 and roughly half between 2015 and 2020. India recently purchased Russian S-400 antiaircraft missiles, which could trigger U.S. sanctions.

As fighting erupted Thursday in Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats in New Delhi presented dueling pitches. The ranking Russian envoy, Roman Babushkin, praised Modi’s “independent and balanced” approach and offered a reminder of what is at stake. “Russia is the only country which is sharing sophisticated technologies with India and defense cooperation between us is a strong factor for international peace and stability,” he told Indian media outlets. “We have big plans and we hope that our partnership will continue at the same level which we are enjoying today.”

The Ukrainian ambassador to India, Igor Polikha, told reporters that he is “deeply dissatisfied” with India’s position, which he attributed to its “special, privileged, strategic relation with Russia.” He pleaded for Modi’s help to restrain Putin at what he called “the moment of destiny.”

“I don’t know how many world leaders Putin may listen to, but the stature of Modi-ji makes me hopeful,” Polikha said, using an honorific for the Indian leader. “We are waiting, asking, pleading for the assistance of India.”

Meanwhile, India’s foreign policy circles remained deeply ambivalent about the course ahead. Even though maintaining neutrality angered Washington, it would be equally difficult for India to alienate Moscow now, said Sushant Singh, a fellow at the Center for Policy Research, a think tank in New Delhi.

“No one else is going to give you a nuclear submarine,” he said. “Who else is going to sell India an aircraft carrier?”

And yet, one other realpolitik consideration could tip India’s hand, Singh added: India now considers China — which is increasingly embracing Russia diplomatically and purchasing more Russian energy and now wheat — to be its biggest threat and one that could be countered only with American help.

“India has never been caught in this kind of an either-or situation,” Singh said. “It’s the biggest diplomatic challenge since the Cold War.”

Others were more dismissive of the prospect of India joining the Western bloc.

“We owe answers to no one except ourselves,” D.B. Venkatesh Varma, who served as India’s ambassador to Moscow until last year, wrote in a column in the Indian Express. “Russia has not covered itself in glory. But that is no reason to doubt the merits of our long-standing relations with it — just as we held our noses and deepened our relations with the U.S. during its decade-long intervention in Iraq.”

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On Ukraine's Snake Island, a defiant last stand against Russian forces - The Washington Post

As the Russian military pounded targets across Ukraine with an array of bombs and missiles, a small team of Ukrainian border guards on a rocky, desolate island received an ominous message: Give up or be attacked.

“I am a Russian warship,” a voice from the invaders said, according to a recording of the communications. “I ask you to lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary deaths. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”

The Ukrainians responded boldly.

“Russian warship,” came the reply, “go f--- yourself.”

The Russians opened fire, eventually killing the 13 border guards.

SNAKE

ISLAND

Snake

Island

Annexed by

Russia in

2014

Source: Maxar via Google Earth

THE WASHINGTON POST

SNAKE

ISLAND

Snake

Island

Annexed by

Russia in

2014

Source: Maxar via Google Earth

THE WASHINGTON POST

SNAKE

ISLAND

Snake

Island

Annexed by

Russia in 2014

THE WASHINGTON POST

Source: Maxar via Google Earth

News of the defiant last stand on the Black Sea went viral Thursday, highlighting the grim decisions that Ukrainians have faced during the largest attack on a European nation since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said hours later that the island’s defenders will be bestowed with the title “Hero of Ukraine,” the highest honorific the Ukrainian leader can award.

A copy of the recording was posted on the website of the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrayinska Pravda, and a Ukrainian official confirmed its authenticity to The Washington Post. A separate recording, posted on TikTok, shows what appears to be a border guard in a helmet and balaclava on the atoll, also known as Zmiinyi Island, or Snake Island, cursing after coming under fire. His profile lists him as a 23-year-old from Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea.

Stories of resistance amid bloodshed came from all over Ukraine. Zelensky, speaking at a news conference, said the border guards had attempted to protect the island for much of Thursday before they were killed. At least 137 Ukrainians were killed in less than a day of fighting, with operations continuing, he said.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operations candidly, acknowledged hearing about the attack on Snake Island on Friday and described the exchange as “both gut-wrenching and inspiring.”

“It’s certainly reflective of what we have seen in the last 24 hours, which is the Ukrainians being willing to fight for their country, and do so bravely,” the official said.

News of the clash sparked admiration on social media.

“Defiance!!!” tweeted Florent Groberg, an Army veteran who earned the Medal of Honor for valor in Afghanistan. “These Ukrainian patriots should never be forgotten. Few understand what true courage is … this is it #StandWithUkraine.”

“What does it say about Ukraine that they have men and women that would not surrender to an overwhelming force,” tweeted Rep. Ruben Gallego (D.-Ariz.), a Marine Corps veteran. “Ukraine is a country that wants to be independent.”

Gallego echoed the final defiant statement of the border guards along, posting a middle finger emoji.

While isolated, the 42-acre island marks the edge of Ukraine’s territorial waters, giving it a strategic role within the Black Sea by connecting a shipping corridor to the Ukrainian cities of Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson.

The sparsely populated island has changed hands numerous times over the past century, serving as a military outpost for radar and other equipment.

After World War I, the island was seized by Romania. The Soviet Union took control of it after World War II, leading to the construction of a lighthouse and military base, according to a history of the dispute published at Queen’s University in Canada.

The island became Ukraine’s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, though Romania continued to dispute ownership. An international court ultimately left Ukraine in control of the island and Romania with possession of much of the surrounding waters.

Dalton Bennett and María Luisa Paúl contributed to this report.

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Putin speaks to Macron, explains Russian actions in Ukraine -Kremlin - Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, attend a joint press conference, in Moscow, Russia, February 7, 2022. Thibault Camus/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

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MOSCOW, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone to French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday and gave him an "exhaustive" explanation of the reasons for Russia's actions in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin said the call took place at Macron's initiative, and he and Putin agreed to stay in contact.

Macron undertook strenuous diplomacy in recent weeks to try to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine, including holding talks with Putin in the Kremlin.

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Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Leslie Adler

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Watch Live: Biden addresses Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified" attack on Ukraine - CBS News

Washington — President Biden is addressing the American people on Thursday afternoon after Russia launched what Ukrainian officials say is a "full-scale invasion," and is expected to announce additional sanctions the U.S. and Western allies will impose on Russia in response to its aggressive actions.

"This is a meditated attack," Mr. Biden said as he began his remarks. "Vladimir Putin has been planning this for months, as we've been saying all along. ... For weeks, for weeks, we have been warning that this would happen, and now, it's unfolding largely as we predicted." 

Mr. Biden condemned what he called an "unprovoked and unjustified attack" on Ukraine in a late-night statement Wednesday after Russia began launching strikes against Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Kyiv. The president accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of choosing "a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering."

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Russian forces started breaking through the country's border in the Kyiv region, and Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said "dozens" of Ukrainian troops were killed amid Russia's attacks. 

Mr. Biden's remarks follow a meeting with Group of 7 leaders, many of which joined the U.S. in issuing widespread condemnation of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, as well as a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the latest developments in the crisis.

In an effort to deter Russia from taking further action in Ukraine, the U.S. rolled out a first tranche of sanctions after Putin recognized as independent the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine. The initial round targeted a pair of Russian banks and five members of Russia's elite with ties to Putin, as well as the company building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and its corporate officers.

But the Biden administration and Western leaders have warned a further escalation by Putin against Russia's neighbor would trigger more severe sanctions, and the president said in a statement late Wednesday that the U.S. and allies will impose "further consequences" on Russia for its attack against Ukraine.

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