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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian Black Sea provocations 'increasing threat of accidental military incidents,' Latvian intelligence says
Russian military behavior in the Baltic Sea region is "increasing the threat of accidental military incidents," Latvia's Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIDD) has said in a new report. The annual report, cited by Latvian media on May 6, said Russia is using aggressive tactics, such as unauthorized airspace incursions and close encounters with NATO ships and aircraft. "The purpose of the provocations is most likely to intimidate and test the potential opponent, while attempts to discredit the reactions and defense capabilities of the countries of the region are not excluded," it said. These actions, MIDD says, are "increasing the threat of accidental military incidents." Russia's Baltic Sea Fleet has its headquarters and main base in Kaliningrad Oblast which has access to the Baltic Sea. The headquarters of the Russian Admiralty is based in St. Petersburg, also located on the Baltic Sea. A map of the Baltic Sea Region. (Lisa Kukharska/The Kyiv Independent) Russia has restructured its military presence along its Baltic flank. The former Western Military District, which bordered Latvia, has been split into the newly formed Leningrad and Moscow Military Districts. This was officially presented as a response to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, according to MIDD. Despite ongoing reforms, including the formation of a new army corps and the reorganization of old ones in Karelia and Kaliningrad, MIDD said that these changes have not yet resulted in a significant boost in Russia's combat power near Latvia. Most of Russia's military resources remain involved in the war in Ukraine. MIDD highlighted a sharp reduction in large-scale exercises due to equipment and manpower shortages. Nevertheless, Russia and Belarus are planning to hold the Zapad 2025 (West 2025) joint military exercises later this year, as part of a long-standing series of drills held every two years since 2009. The most recent iteration, Zapad-2021, involved over 200,000 participants and served as a prelude to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia is committed to a long-term militarization strategy, according to the report, and Moscow plans to expand its armed forces from one to 1.5 million personnel, with much of the focus on its western flank. While such goals may take years, or even a decade, to fully realize, Latvia should expect a gradual increase in troop presence near its borders after the intensity of hostilities in Ukraine decreases, it said. The report also stresses that Russia's wartime economy is likely to remain in place. The shift away from peacetime economic priorities reinforces a sustained need for external confrontation and military expansion, making Moscow's aggressive foreign policy not just a strategic choice but a domestic necessity, the MIDD added. Read also: Why the Baltic States fear Russia's Kaliningrad exclave We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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First Post
22-04-2025
- Politics
- First Post
‘Russian threat against Europe rising': Netherlands facing Moscow's hybrid attacks, says Dutch intel agency
Netherlands' Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said in its annual report that Russian operations against European targets were intensifying and would likely persist including after a possible end to the war against Ukraine read more Russia has ramped up hybrid attacks aimed at undermining Dutch society and its European allies, the Netherlands' military intelligence agency warned Tuesday (April 22), revealing that Russian hackers had already targeted a public service in the country in an attempted act of cyber sabotage. The Netherlands' Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said in its annual report that Russian operations against European targets were intensifying and would likely persist, even after a potential end to the war in Ukraine. Advertisement 'We see the Russian threat against Europe is increasing, including after a possible end to the war against Ukraine,' said MIVD director Peter Reesink. The agency disclosed that a Russian cyberattack attempted to gain control over an unspecified Dutch public service. 'It was thwarted, but it was the first time,' Reesink said. The MIVD did not identify which service had been targeted but confirmed the action constituted a notable escalation. In addition, the MIVD said it had detected a Russian cyber operation directed at critical infrastructure in the Netherlands, possibly intended as preparation for future sabotage efforts. The move aligns with broader Western concerns about Moscow's use of hybrid warfare, which combines cyberattacks, disinformation, espionage and the physical sabotage of essential systems. The agency repeated its prior warnings about Russian activities in the North Sea, where entities linked to Moscow have reportedly been mapping undersea infrastructure. Such reconnaissance is believed to be linked to potential acts of sabotage against internet cables, energy supplies and water infrastructure. In November, Britain's foreign intelligence chief similarly accused Russia of conducting a 'staggeringly reckless campaign' across Europe, citing repeated cyberattacks and incidents of arson. Moscow has consistently denied responsibility for these actions. China also flagged as growing threat Beyond Russia, the MIVD also highlighted China as a persistent security concern, citing its continued backing of Russia's war effort and its hostile posture towards Taiwan. The intelligence report noted that Beijing was actively seeking to acquire sensitive Western technology through both investments and cyber espionage, with a particular focus on the Dutch semiconductor industry. Advertisement According to the MIVD, Chinese cyber espionage last year proved 'more extensive than initially thought,' targeting Western governments and defence contractors. Reesink echoed warnings from European counterparts about the need for accelerated military preparedness across the continent. 'If you look at the speed at which Russia is increasing its military complex, its equipment, its artillery, it's by far much faster than we do in Europe, even in the US. So that creates a sort of window of vulnerability for us,' he said. He stressed that Europe must 'speed up and make sure that we have the same pace as they have to at least be deterrent enough.' With inputs from agencies
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Russian hackers 'targeted Dutch public facility'
Russian hackers targeted a Dutch public facility last year in the first such an attack on the lowlands country's infrastructure, its military intelligence services said on Monday. The Netherlands remained an "interesting target country" for Moscow due to its ongoing support for Ukraine , its Hague-based international organisations, high-tech industries, and harbours such as Rotterdam, the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said in its yearly report. Last year, the MIVD "saw a Russian hacker group carry out a cyber attack against the digital control system of a public facility in the Netherlands", the agency's director said in the 52-page report. "As far as known, this is the first time that such a sabotage attack has been carried out against such a digital control system in the Netherlands," Vice-Admiral Peter Reesink said. The MIVD did not name the public facility adding "ultimately the attack caused no damage". Live Events It warned that various Russian units were mapping the infrastructure of the North Sea and were carrying out underwater activities that "indicated espionage and preparatory actions for disruptions and sabotage". "Think, for example, of internet cables, drinking water and energy supplies," Reesink said. A former Dutch defence minister already warned in 2018 -- almost four years before Russia 's full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- that it was locked in a "cyber war" with Moscow. Ank Bijleveld's words came in the wake of an alleged hacking attempt outside the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)in The Hague. Four GRU military intelligence officials were expelled from the Netherlands as a result. Back then, Russia dismissed the hacking scandal as "disinformation" and accusations that it has orchestrated a string of global cyber attacks as "spy mania". Since Moscow's February 24, 2022 invasion of its neighbour, the Netherlands has supplied a number of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, as well as a Patriot missile air defence system. Last week Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced that 150 million euros ($172 million) have been allocated for air defence systems for Ukraine.
