Russian army chief warns of N-risks in cyber hacks, space

Bloomberg

The extension of military confrontation into the cyber sphere and space raises the risks of incidents involving nuclear weapons, Russia’s top general warned, highlighting concerns about growing tensions.
“The risks of incidents is rising from interference in systems of command and control over nuclear weapons,” General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, said in comments to foreign military attaches in Moscow, according to a transcript published on the Defense Ministry website.
“In this environment, nuclear deterrence remains the key element of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation,” he said, reiterating Russia’s position that it won’t be drawn into an arms race.
Gerasimov’s comments took him to the edge of the newest flashpoint in US-Russian relations: a massive hack against American government agencies and institutions that authorities in Washington have linked to Russia cyber attackers. The Kremlin has denied the allegations.
“The lack of facts is compensated by insinuations,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The hacking allegations may be “an attempt to prevent President-elect Biden from developing cooperation with Moscow,” she said, referring to incoming US leader Joe Biden.
Russia backs sweeping new limits on dissent
Russian lawmakers approved a raft of new measures restricting political activity and protests as well as tightening control over the Internet in what analysts say is a response to simmering popular discontent and fears of more pressure from the US.
The State Duma passed the measures with little debate. They include criminal penalties for individuals determined to be “foreign agents,” including journalists and political activists. Others impose further limits on public protests, broaden definitions of libel online and ban the publication of information about security-services personnel.
Another measure gives regulators the power to block foreign Internet companies for limiting access to Russian content, such as state-run media.
“This is tyranny and tightening the screws,” said Elena Lukyanova, a prominent law professor who’s often critical of the authorities.
Backers of the measures defend them as necessary to protect the political system from outside influence, arguing they’re in line with the constitution.
With consumer incomes stagnant and public support for the government weak, authorities face a challenge delivering a commanding victory for the ruling party in next year’s parliamentary elections. Persistent anti-government protests in the Far East city of Khabarovsk, as well as in neighboring Belarus, have added to pressure.
“They are preventively crafting a shield against the support of Russia’s opposition from Joe Biden that they expect” when the new US administration takes office, said Alexei Makarkin, deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies in Moscow. “We are ready — that’s what they are demonstrating to America now.”