cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2560198

Archived version

Chairs of the foreign affairs committees of eight European parliaments on April 25 urged U.S. President Donald Trump to end "the policy of appeasement" towards Russia, and called for a "resolute stance" against Moscow, according to a document seen by the Kyiv Independent.

"We strongly warn against yielding to its blackmail and deception," the statement reads.

The statement is signed by chairs of the foreign affairs committees of the U.K., France, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine.

"We urge an end to the policy of appeasement and call instead for a united, resolute stance against Russia’s terrorist regime."

"Negotiating with the war criminal Putin is evidently futile; his main objective is to undermine and humiliate our ally, the United States. We call upon all states to ensure that Vladimir Putin and all those complicit in his crimes are brought to justice."

"We must not repeat the mistakes of Munich in 1938."

"There can be no compromise and no external pressure on Ukraine regarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

[The latter point is noteworthy as the U.S. is reportedly proposing its de jure recognition of Russian control over Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014, as part of a potential peace deal.]

The signatories also urged Europe to confiscate Russia’s frozen assets and redirect them to support Ukraine.

[Edit typo.]

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2559835

Russia became increasingly aggressive and provocative toward European countries in 2024, employing espionage, cyberattacks, and covert disinformation campaigns to influence public debate, according to the annual report released by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The agency described Russia’s actions as approaching the level of state terrorism aimed at spreading fear across Europe. The report also highlighted a rise in extremist threats within the Netherlands.

“The regime uses sabotage that borders on state terrorism to sow fear in Europe,” the AIVD stated in its report.

[...]

On Tuesday [April 22], the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) disclosed that Russian hackers attacked a Dutch public facility in 2024. The specific facility was not identified. The incident was part of the agency’s annual report and signals a significant shift in how national security is viewed, with threats now considered the norm rather than the exception. “From uncertainty as the exception to uncertainty as the rule,” AIVD Director-General Erik Akerboom said in the report.

According to the AIVD, the Netherlands faced a “multitude of threats” in 2024. The agency issued 73 official intelligence reports to the Public Prosecution Service—17 more than in 2023. These classified communications typically alert authorities about individuals who may be involved in criminal activity and allow prosecutors to initiate investigations.

...

Many of the AIVD’s investigations were linked to shifting global power dynamics and ongoing international conflicts. “The balance of power is changing, and the question is what the future world order will look like,” the report noted. “Anyone who assesses the threats to the Netherlands in 2024 will not only wonder what kind of world we live in, but also what we must do in response to this threat landscape.”

Alongside Russian threats, China also posed significant dangers. The Chinese government targeted a Dutch military research network with malicious software in a bid to spy on Dutch governmental and political targets. The AIVD report stated that China aimed to reduce Western influence worldwide through collaboration with Russia.

In addition to joint geopolitical efforts, China supplied military goods to Russia, including attack drones. These drones are frequently deployed in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2547945

Archived version

“The Commission shall not meet with any lobby groups and/or trade associations that represent Huawei’s interests and/or speak on its behalf,” stated the Commission’s spokesperson service. This measure builds on an earlier move from March, when the Commission prohibited any “contact and meetings” with Huawei officials. That decision came shortly after Belgian authorities launched a formal probe into Huawei’s alleged involvement in corruption in Brussels.

In its latest update, the Commission clarified that the ban has now been extended to include “any intermediaries acting on Huawei’s behalf who would engage in meetings and other contacts with Commission staff to advance the interests of the company.”

The investigation by Belgian prosecutors has so far led to criminal charges against at least eight individuals, among them one of Huawei’s top executives in Europe. The charges include active corruption, money laundering, and involvement in a criminal organization, and follow a coordinated series of police raids across Belgium, France, and Portugal.

...

CERRE, a think tank that lists Huawei as a member, previously indicated the matter was “under close review,” but declined to offer further comment.

At the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), Huawei remains a listed member, though ECSO has confirmed that it is conducting a review of Huawei’s membership status. The outcome of this review is expected to be announced on April 29.

Other industry associations where Huawei continues to be listed as a member—including Eurelectric, the European Association for Storage of Energy, Bruegel, FTTH Council Europe, and ECTA—did not respond to requests for comment or offer updates on their current relationships with the company.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2539529

Archived version

Here is also a report.

China-nexus APT exploits Ivanti Connect Secure VPN vulnerability to infiltrate multiple entities, according to Cyber Security firm TeamT5.

• The campaign, active since late March 2025, exploits the CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-22457 vulnerabilities' stack-based buffer overflow flaws, which have maximum CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) scores of 9.0, to deploy the SPAWNCHIMERA malware suite and establish network access.

• The victim countries include Austria, Australia, France, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

• Targeted industries include Automotive, Chemical, Conglomerate, Construction, Information Security, Education, Electronics, Financial Institution, Gambling, Government, Intergovernmental Organizations (IGO), Information Technology, Law Firm, Manufacturing, Materials, Media, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Research Institutes, Telecommunication.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2539529

Archived version

Here is also a report.

China-nexus APT exploits Ivanti Connect Secure VPN vulnerability to infiltrate multiple entities, according to Cyber Security firm TeamT5.

• The campaign, active since late March 2025, exploits the CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-22457 vulnerabilities' stack-based buffer overflow flaws, which have maximum CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) scores of 9.0, to deploy the SPAWNCHIMERA malware suite and establish network access.

• The victim countries include Austria, Australia, France, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

• Targeted industries include Automotive, Chemical, Conglomerate, Construction, Information Security, Education, Electronics, Financial Institution, Gambling, Government, Intergovernmental Organizations (IGO), Information Technology, Law Firm, Manufacturing, Materials, Media, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Research Institutes, Telecommunication.

...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33177843

• Major Russian banks set up netting system for China trade
• Aim is to cut risk of secondary sanctions
• System has lower commissions, is set to expand
• Xi due to visit Russia in May, meet Putin

Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed "The China Track" for transactions with China, aiming to reduce their visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions.

[...]

Russia's trade with China hit a record $245 billion last year despite payment problems and commissions running as high as 12%, as Chinese banks had grown too cautious to do business with Russia and jeopardise their ties with the United States.

[...]

The issue had become so important that Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping discussed it during Putin's visit to China in May 2024, which was aimed at cementing the two countries' 'no limits' partnership.

Xi is set to take part in Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9, but his visit is now taking place amid China's trade war with the United States, making the booming trade with Russia and other non-Western nations more important.

[...]

The new system has been set up by major sanctioned banks and involves a web of intermediaries registered in countries that Russia considers friendly. The system has been in place for some time and has not yet suffered any major setbacks.

Each bank runs several verified payments agents, some of whom handle payments for exports, and some for imports. All payments are then netted centrally at the bank with all the counterparties involved receiving their money.

The banks settle trade in both directions, said market sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2534660

• Zelenskiy says Chinese nationals help Russian drone production
• Says Russia may have obtained technology without China knowing
• Chinese ambassador summoned to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2534660

• Zelenskiy says Chinese nationals help Russian drone production
• Says Russia may have obtained technology without China knowing
• Chinese ambassador summoned to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2527523

Archived version

China’s foothold in Europe’s energy sector is no longer viewed through a purely commercial lens. What once seemed like standard foreign investment has evolved into a strategic liability, one that touches the core of Europe’s security architecture. As policymakers take stock, a clearer pattern is emerging: control over the flow of electricity is not just about energy, but about leverage in moments of geopolitical strain [...]

Energy networks, like telecommunications, serve as critical infrastructure not because of what they produce, but because of what they enable. A blackout in the wrong place at the wrong time—whether accidental or engineered—could paralyze civil and military readiness alike. European leaders once worried about reliance on Russian gas; today, they face a parallel concern that power infrastructure could be shaped by actors with competing strategic objectives. The 21st-century battlefield includes cables, substations, and data streams, and in that arena, grid ownership is influence [...]

Europe’s energy sector is no longer an open playing field for Chinese investments. After years of welcoming Chinese capital with few questions asked, policymakers are increasingly treating ownership of critical infrastructure as a national security issue. What began as overdue scrutiny has evolved into a broader recalibration: strategic control is no longer seen as a neutral investment—it’s a risk vector. The shift hasn’t been loud, but it’s gaining traction, one policy tool at a time [...]

Europe’s Energy Awakening is Just the Beginning

The Chinese playbook in Europe’s energy sector mirrors its approach in telecommunications investments: acquire stakes, embed influence, and shape strategic terrain through economic means. These moves have not been purely extractive. At times, Chinese capital has kept utilities afloat and helped launch high-cost infrastructure. But the net effect is a deeper tension between economic interdependence and strategic autonomy.

European governments are now responding with greater caution. The open-door era has given way to a more selective posture, grounded in the recognition that control over energy infrastructure is about more than electrons, it’s about leverage. This evolution, though uneven across the continent, reflects growing convergence with U.S. concerns about China’s use of critical infrastructure as a foreign policy tool.

The European experience offers a warning and a blueprint: when strategic sectors are treated as market commodities, influence follows ownership. The case for screening foreign investments and asserting national control over core systems is no longer theoretical, it’s operational. And as NATO allies and EU members ramp up efforts to secure supply chains and guard against coercive dependencies, China’s tactics will remain a persistent variable.

Beijing, for its part, is unlikely to retreat. Chinese firms are likely to recalibrate, favoring joint ventures, minority stakes, or sectors less likely to trigger scrutiny, but the underlying objective remains unchanged: long-term access, embedded presence, and influence without confrontation.

This emerging pushback is not a blanket rejection of Chinese capital. But it is a statement of limits. Strategic assets are no longer up for silent auction, and Western nations are showing signs of protecting what matters most. Europe’s course correction in its energy sector may prove to be more than reactive; it may be the early test case for how the West manages the expanding Chinese investments across every domain where control and criticality intersect.

[Edit typo.]

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2523894

Archived link

In the era of Trump 2.0, the first question British defence companies are facing when trying to export their weapons abroad is whether they are independent of the US arms industry. Or simply, are they “Itar-free”?

Itar, which stands for the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, refers to a set of longstanding US rules that govern the items on the United States Munitions List, which is aimed at safeguarding national security.

The list contains US-produced software, components and other technology that can be used for either military purposes or serve a dual use. If a weapon is subject to Itar, it cannot be built, sold or supplied to someone else without US consent and support.

One defence industry source said: “Even if you have US engineers, you become Itar-tainted.”

To employ ex-US military employees, UK companies would become subject to Itar restrictions if they have not been granted an exemption.

Although the restrictions are nothing new, a combination of Trump’s tariffs, vague threats to Canada and Denmark and pause on providing military aid and intelligence to Ukraine has left defence companies and governments thinking twice before investing in American components or equipment.

...

Helsing, a European defence tech company, and Auterion, a supplier of drone operating systems with a European headquarters in Munich, also pride themselves on having Itar-free equipment.

Helsing has pursued the policy because it “was founded on the principle of providing sovereign capabilities for a strong Europe”, according to Amelia Gould, the company’s global maritime director.

“Europe has this technology, we don’t need to import everything from the US,” she added.

Brinley Salzmann, the director of overseas and exports for ADS, a defence trade association, said that what was once a preference for Itar-free weapons was quickly becoming a requirement.

He said: “As international collaboration increases and governments seek greater control over their supply chains, the ability to operate without US extraterritorial export restrictions is becoming a strategic consideration.”

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2468670

Archived link

...

The Serbian government wanted to launch golden passport programs in 2022 and then significantly simplify the issuance of citizenship to Russians working in the country, reducing the residency period before applying for citizenship to one year. But, as the Financial Times reported, the European Commission put pressure on Belgrade. They threatened to suspend the Serbia-EU visa-free regime, if the granting of citizenship through investor schemes is deemed to pose an increased risk to the internal security and public policy of the Member States of the European Union.

As IStories discovered, European countries still have something to fear. In hundreds of decisions on granting Serbian citizenship for services rendered from 2022 to April 2025, the names of dozens of Russians closely connected to the military-industrial complex, the Kremlin, oligarchs, state corporations, and even special services are listed. None of them appear on sanctions lists and, therefore, can travel freely with a Serbian passport.

...

Several Russian billionaires from the Forbes list and people formerly associated with managing the assets of oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Alexei Mordashov also became citizens [of Serbia], however, there is no information about their current relationship with the Russian government.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2468564

Archived link

Russia has created thousands of TikTok accounts in an effort to influence public opinion in Ukraine, [...]. The strategy takes advantage of TikTok’s algorithm, which allows even new accounts with no followers to go viral — making it the most effective platform in Ukraine for bot farms to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda.

...

Data from the research firm DataReportal shows that TikTok has 17 million users in Ukraine — more than both Instagram (12 million) and Facebook (13.9 million). In April 2024, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation reported blocking several dozen TikTok channels spreading what it referred to as “enemy propaganda.” Among them were pages linked to anti-vaccine activist Ostap Stakhiv, pro-Russian journalist Diana Panchenko, and lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on treason charges. But according to the center’s head, Andriy Kovalenko, taking down individual accounts is like “treating symptoms, not the disease.” He said the platform itself should be able to distinguish between disinformation and legitimate content.

...

Russia’s playbook: first, a “bot farm,” a network of accounts with minimal information or followers, is set up. Then, an “emotional video” is created using either real footage or AI. The same video is posted across hundreds of these accounts within a day, and bots swarm in to like, comment, and “watch” the video all the way through to boost engagement. TikTok’s algorithm interprets this as genuine popularity and starts pushing the video to more users.

...

AI and deepfake technology have also made it possible for Russia to create fake TikTok accounts posing as Ukrainian soldiers. In late March 2025 — during the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region and amid statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about thousands of Ukrainian troops being surrounded — videos began appearing on TikTok that appeared to show Ukrainian soldiers recording their “last words.” The AI-generated men in the clips claimed that their commanders had abandoned them and that they were expecting to die there. According to Ukrainska Pravda, these videos racked up millions of views.

...