UK, Australia warn of Russian cyber moves over Ukraine
"This malicious campaign by Russia's military intelligence service presents a serious risk to targeted organisations, including those involved in the delivery of assistance to Ukraine," Paul Chichester, Director of Operations at the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said.
The campaign has also targeted defence, IT services, maritime, airports, ports and air traffic management systems sectors in several members of the NATO military alliance, the NCSC statement said.
GRU Unit 26165 - also known as APT 28 or Fancy Bear - is said to have gained access to some networks using a range of techniques, including guessing log-in credentials and spear-phishing - where specific individuals or organisations are targeted in an effort to gain access to a network.
Wednesday's advisory was issued in conjunction with Australia, the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France and the Netherlands, warning organisations of the elevated threat and urging immediate action to protect themselves.
"We strongly encourage organisations to familiarise themselves with the threat and mitigation advice included in the advisory to help defend their networks," Chichester said.
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2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Trump takes off for high-stakes Putin meeting in Alaska
US President Donald Trump has departed Washington aboard Air Force One to head to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for discussions about a possible ceasefire deal for Ukraine. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, as well as other top aides, the White House said on Friday. "HIGH STAKES!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform before leaving the White House for a trip the US sees as a possible way to end the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Both Trump and Putin are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. Trump, who casts the war as a "bloodbath" fraught with escalatory risk, is pressing for a truce in the three-and-a-half-year-old war that would bolster his credentials as worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win as he can use it to say that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow has retaken its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. The summit, the first between a US and Russian leader since 2021, will begin at 11am on Friday (5am on Saturday AEST) at a Cold War-era air force base. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher nut to crack than he had thought. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly setting up a subsequent three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. A source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine given Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Ukraine and its European allies were heartened by a call on Wednesday in which they said Trump had agreed Ukraine must be involved in any talks about ceding land. Zelenskiy said Trump had also supported the idea of security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, is vulnerable to additional US sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. The day before the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February 2026. Trump said on the eve of the summit that he thought Putin would do a deal on Ukraine, but he has blown hot and cold on the chances of a breakthrough. Putin has so far voiced stringent conditions for a full ceasefire, but one compromise could be a truce in the air war. Putin has said he is open to a ceasefire but has repeatedly said the issues of verification need to be sorted out first. Zelenskiy has accused Putin of playing for time to avoid US secondary sanctions and has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory. Trump has said land transfers could be a possible way of breaking the logjam. Beyond territory, Ukraine has been clear in talks with Western allies that it needs a security guarantee backed by Washington. Putin in 2024 stated his demands for stopping the war - the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions that they still control, an area now of about 21,000 sq km. Putin also said Kyiv would have to officially notify Moscow that it was abandoning its plans to join NATO, and it intended to remain neutral and non-aligned. Ukraine says these terms are tantamount to asking it to capitulate. US President Donald Trump has departed Washington aboard Air Force One to head to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for discussions about a possible ceasefire deal for Ukraine. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, as well as other top aides, the White House said on Friday. "HIGH STAKES!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform before leaving the White House for a trip the US sees as a possible way to end the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Both Trump and Putin are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. Trump, who casts the war as a "bloodbath" fraught with escalatory risk, is pressing for a truce in the three-and-a-half-year-old war that would bolster his credentials as worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win as he can use it to say that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow has retaken its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. The summit, the first between a US and Russian leader since 2021, will begin at 11am on Friday (5am on Saturday AEST) at a Cold War-era air force base. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher nut to crack than he had thought. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly setting up a subsequent three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. A source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine given Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Ukraine and its European allies were heartened by a call on Wednesday in which they said Trump had agreed Ukraine must be involved in any talks about ceding land. Zelenskiy said Trump had also supported the idea of security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, is vulnerable to additional US sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. The day before the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February 2026. Trump said on the eve of the summit that he thought Putin would do a deal on Ukraine, but he has blown hot and cold on the chances of a breakthrough. Putin has so far voiced stringent conditions for a full ceasefire, but one compromise could be a truce in the air war. Putin has said he is open to a ceasefire but has repeatedly said the issues of verification need to be sorted out first. Zelenskiy has accused Putin of playing for time to avoid US secondary sanctions and has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory. Trump has said land transfers could be a possible way of breaking the logjam. Beyond territory, Ukraine has been clear in talks with Western allies that it needs a security guarantee backed by Washington. Putin in 2024 stated his demands for stopping the war - the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions that they still control, an area now of about 21,000 sq km. Putin also said Kyiv would have to officially notify Moscow that it was abandoning its plans to join NATO, and it intended to remain neutral and non-aligned. Ukraine says these terms are tantamount to asking it to capitulate. US President Donald Trump has departed Washington aboard Air Force One to head to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for discussions about a possible ceasefire deal for Ukraine. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, as well as other top aides, the White House said on Friday. "HIGH STAKES!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform before leaving the White House for a trip the US sees as a possible way to end the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Both Trump and Putin are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. Trump, who casts the war as a "bloodbath" fraught with escalatory risk, is pressing for a truce in the three-and-a-half-year-old war that would bolster his credentials as worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win as he can use it to say that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow has retaken its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. The summit, the first between a US and Russian leader since 2021, will begin at 11am on Friday (5am on Saturday AEST) at a Cold War-era air force base. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher nut to crack than he had thought. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly setting up a subsequent three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. A source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine given Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Ukraine and its European allies were heartened by a call on Wednesday in which they said Trump had agreed Ukraine must be involved in any talks about ceding land. Zelenskiy said Trump had also supported the idea of security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, is vulnerable to additional US sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. The day before the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February 2026. Trump said on the eve of the summit that he thought Putin would do a deal on Ukraine, but he has blown hot and cold on the chances of a breakthrough. Putin has so far voiced stringent conditions for a full ceasefire, but one compromise could be a truce in the air war. Putin has said he is open to a ceasefire but has repeatedly said the issues of verification need to be sorted out first. Zelenskiy has accused Putin of playing for time to avoid US secondary sanctions and has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory. Trump has said land transfers could be a possible way of breaking the logjam. Beyond territory, Ukraine has been clear in talks with Western allies that it needs a security guarantee backed by Washington. Putin in 2024 stated his demands for stopping the war - the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions that they still control, an area now of about 21,000 sq km. Putin also said Kyiv would have to officially notify Moscow that it was abandoning its plans to join NATO, and it intended to remain neutral and non-aligned. Ukraine says these terms are tantamount to asking it to capitulate. US President Donald Trump has departed Washington aboard Air Force One to head to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for discussions about a possible ceasefire deal for Ukraine. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, as well as other top aides, the White House said on Friday. "HIGH STAKES!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform before leaving the White House for a trip the US sees as a possible way to end the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Both Trump and Putin are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. Trump, who casts the war as a "bloodbath" fraught with escalatory risk, is pressing for a truce in the three-and-a-half-year-old war that would bolster his credentials as worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win as he can use it to say that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow has retaken its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. The summit, the first between a US and Russian leader since 2021, will begin at 11am on Friday (5am on Saturday AEST) at a Cold War-era air force base. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher nut to crack than he had thought. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly setting up a subsequent three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. A source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine given Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Ukraine and its European allies were heartened by a call on Wednesday in which they said Trump had agreed Ukraine must be involved in any talks about ceding land. Zelenskiy said Trump had also supported the idea of security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, is vulnerable to additional US sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. The day before the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February 2026. Trump said on the eve of the summit that he thought Putin would do a deal on Ukraine, but he has blown hot and cold on the chances of a breakthrough. Putin has so far voiced stringent conditions for a full ceasefire, but one compromise could be a truce in the air war. Putin has said he is open to a ceasefire but has repeatedly said the issues of verification need to be sorted out first. Zelenskiy has accused Putin of playing for time to avoid US secondary sanctions and has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory. Trump has said land transfers could be a possible way of breaking the logjam. Beyond territory, Ukraine has been clear in talks with Western allies that it needs a security guarantee backed by Washington. Putin in 2024 stated his demands for stopping the war - the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions that they still control, an area now of about 21,000 sq km. Putin also said Kyiv would have to officially notify Moscow that it was abandoning its plans to join NATO, and it intended to remain neutral and non-aligned. Ukraine says these terms are tantamount to asking it to capitulate.
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Vladimir Putin ‘very clear about what he wants' ahead of Trump meeting
Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge discusses the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'First thing I'd say is no one knows what the outcome of these talks are going to be,' Mr Shoebridge told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio. 'I think Putin's going into this very clear about what he wants. 'He [Vladimir Putin] really wants to talk about everything but the war.'
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘He will go there': Trump eyes economic leverage to negotiate peace with Russia
Sky News contributor Kosha Gada says United States President Donald Trump may use 'economic leverage' in order to strike a deal with his Russian counterpart. 'That is something he has signalled, he did a little bit of that with India, which is of course a big buyer of Russian oil,' Ms Gada told Sky News Australia. 'Trump loves to use economic leverage; it's probably his favourite form of leverage as opposed to military leverage. 'He will go there. 'If there is something there, like a pathway to greater commercial ties or something else in exchange for a ceasefire or peace.'
