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On Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the report had been “noted” by Beijing, but that the country “strongly opposes and combats any type of cyberattacks, and will not promote, support, or condone such cyberattacks.”

“I would advise the company concerned that if they truly care about global cybersecurity, they should pay more attention to US government hackers’ cyberattacks on China and other countries, and do more to promote dialogue and cooperation among countries, rather than using the cyberattack issue to stir up trouble and throw mud at China,” he told reporters.



India has not discussed the problem with China, according to Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Indian External Affairs Ministry.

“We’ve heard rumors. There is a process in place to protect and maintain our essential infrastructure. He stated, “We haven’t raised this problem with China.”

R.K. Singh, India’s power minister, said the study was nothing to worry about

He stated, “We are always prepared.” “We have a very strong security system in place.” We’re always on the lookout.”

In February 2021, the Insikt Group discovered and reported a possible Chinese-sponsored hack of ten Indian power industry companies by a group known as RedEcho. The group has been given the working name of Threat Activity Group 38, or TAG-38, as more information is gathered. The more recent hack “displays targeting and capability consistency” with RedEcho, but there are also “notable distinctions,” so the group has been given the working name of Threat Activity Group 38, or TAG-38.

The Insikt Group resumed tracking hacking efforts on India’s power grid organizations after a brief hiatus following its first report, according to Recorded Future. It identified likely network intrusions targeting at least seven of India’s so-called “State Load Dispatch Centers” between late February and late March, all of which are located near the disputed border in Ladakh, where Chinese and Indian troops clashed in June 2020, killing 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese.

“Recorded Future continues to track Chinese state-sponsored activity groups targeting a wide variety of sectors around the world – the vast majority of this conforms to long-standing cyber espionage efforts, such as targeting foreign governments, surveillance of dissident and minority groups, and economic espionage,” according to the report.



According to a report produced by a private cybersecurity firm based in the United States, India’s electricity sector was targeted by hackers in a long-term operation thought to be carried out by a state-sponsored Chinese gang. TNS photo

According to a report produced by a private cybersecurity firm based in the United States, India’s electricity sector was targeted by hackers in a long-term operation thought to be carried out by a state-sponsored Chinese gang. TNS photo

“However, from our perspective, the coordinated effort to target Indian power grid assets in recent years is significantly different and, given the continuous heightened tensions and border issues between the two countries, we feel is a matter for concern,” it added.

Hackers are likely to have acquired access through hacked third-party internet-connected equipment, such as IP cameras, according to the business.

Investigators have yet to figure out how they were hacked, but Recorded Future speculated that they may have been installed using default credentials, making them vulnerable.

Because the long-term targeting of India’s power grid “offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities,” Recorded Future believes the goal is more likely to enable information gathering around nearby critical infrastructure systems, or to be pre-positioned for future activity.

A day after appearing unmasked at a White House event with Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for Covid-19.
Pelosi had a positive Covid-19 test result and is asymptomatic, according to her spokesperson, Drew Hammill, who tweeted on Thursday. She had tested negative earlier in the week, he claimed.

“The speaker has been completely vaccinated and boosted, and he is grateful for the vaccine’s strong protection,” Hammill added.

Pelosi will “quarantine in accordance with CDC advice” and “encourages everyone to get vaccinated, boosted, and tested on a regular basis,” according to him.

The news came before of the 82-year-old Democratic leader’s weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives is about to begin a two-week spring break.

Pelosi also canceled a trip to Asia with a congressional delegation she was supposed to lead.

After multiple government figures attended Washington’s Gridiron Club and Foundation dinner on Saturday evening, the diagnosis comes amid a string of positive Covid-19 diagnoses on Capitol Hill.

Pelosi did not attend the event, according to Hamill, but a few officials tested positive thereafter. Merrick Garland, the attorney general, Gina Raimondo, the commerce secretary, and Representatives Joaqun Castro and Adam Schiff are among them.

Guests were asked to “bring a picture ID and immunization documentation either on paper, in pictures on phones, or through Apps like Bindle or Clear,” according to the dinner invitation. Despite the requirement for vaccination, participants were not required to take a Covid-19 test prior to attending the event.

Representatives Katherine Clark and Scott Peters also revealed on Wednesday that they had tested positive for Covid-19, despite the fact that neither of them was present at the meal.

Jamal Simmons, Vice-President Kamala Harris’s communication director, was one of the several Capitol Hill employees who tested positive this week. According to the vice president’s office, he “was in close touch with the vice president as outlined by CDC advice,” and Harris “plans to continue with her public schedule.”

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that tremendous precautions were taken to safeguard Biden from Covid-19, and that anybody who meets or travels with him must be tested first.

“It’s not at public events – I’m talking about meetings,” Psaki said when questioned about other public events at the White House where Biden is frequently seen without a mask. “But again, I can check on the protocols for public events.”

South Korea has chosen to release 7.23 million barrels of strategic crude reserves, in addition to the 4.42 million barrels it has already committed, to help bring down high energy costs amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis, the industry ministry announced on Friday.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 31 member nations agreed last week to release 120 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves, following a similar decision last month to release 60 million barrels, in response to “significant strains in oil markets resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”



According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, the amount for South Korea was determined at 7.23 million barrels after negotiations among the nations. This is the greatest volume the country has ever released under such multilateral moves.

South Korea is the third-largest oil provider this time, with the US pledging to release roughly 60.56 million barrels, accounting for about half of the total.

Dubai crude, which is used as a benchmark in South Korea, hit US$103.79 a barrel on Wednesday, up from $77.12 at the end of last year. Brent crude prices jumped to $101.07 per barrel on Wednesday, up from $77.78 on December 31, according to official data.

“The decision aims to achieve energy market stability both at home and abroad, reducing the burden on our people and the economy in the midst of the prolonged Ukraine conflict and increasing energy costs,” the ministry said in a statement.

The member countries will disburse their committed amount over the next six months, according to the IEA.

Despite the scheduled release, the ministry claims that South Korea would have enough oil reserves to last more than 90 days without importing petroleum.

As the world’s third-biggest oil producer and largest exporter, Russia plays a significant role in global energy markets.

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The United Kingdom will give Ukraine with ‘kamikaze’ attack drones to combat Russian aggression, as the West prepares to ramp up backing for the country’s ‘long-term’ security, including armored vehicles and heavy artillery.
The United Kingdom is prepared to send single-use ‘loiter’ weaponry similar to the Switchblade drone used by the United States.
Essentially, a flying bomb that is deliberately dropped on targets from afar.

The West has agreed to provide more military help, including armored vehicles and heavy artillery.

The United Kingdom is to give Ukraine with ‘kamikaze’ drones as the West increases military aid to the country in response to Russia’s incursion.
The United Kingdom intends to send single-use ‘loiter’ weapons akin to the US Switchblade UAV, which is essentially a flying bomb that is purposefully crashed into targets from afar.

Anti-air and anti-ship systems capable of targeting ships in the Black Sea might also be dispatched.

The action comes after Western governments agreed to provide Kyiv with further military aid, including armored vehicles and heavy artillery.

A summit of 35 nations convened by the UK ‘agreed to broadening its package of military support for Ukraine and examined new means of supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the longer term,’ according to the Ministry of Defence.



Australia will provide armoured vehicles to Ukraine, according to Morrison.

Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced today that his country will send armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to assist in the country’s fight against Russia.

During a video appeal to Australian MPs for greater aid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy particularly requested them.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament, requesting four-wheel-drive vehicles made in Australia (above).

Morrison told reporters that the vehicles would be sent by Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t say how many Bushmasters would be delivered or when they would arrive.

‘We’re not only sending our prayers; we’re sending our guns, munitions, humanitarian aid, all of this, our body armor, all of this, and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,’ Morrison stated.

Thousands of anti-tank weaponry have already been deployed to Ukraine by the United Kingdom. However, Nato states continue to reject Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky’s requests for tanks and fighter planes.

‘As a result of this, there will be more lethal aid going into Ukraine,’ Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said last night on Sky News. Because of what the Russian army has been doing, which is now digging in and starting to pound these cities with artillery, Ukraine requires longer-range artillery.

‘The best counter is additional long-range artillery, therefore [Ukraine] will look for and acquire more long-range artillery, mostly ammunition.’

‘They’re also on the lookout for armoured vehicles of various types — not necessarily tanks, but certainly protective vehicles, as well as more anti-air [weapons].’ As a result of this conference, all of this will be revealed.’



It comes as more evidence mounts that the February invasion is stalling. Vladimir Putin, according to Mr Wallace, “is now a man in a cage he made himself.”

As the Russian war on Ukraine approached its 37th day, the Defense Secretary stated that Russia’s president no longer possessed the ‘power’ that he formerly possessed.

‘President Putin is not the force he used to be,’ he claimed in an interview with Sky News. He is now a man imprisoned in a cage he constructed himself.

‘His force is depleted, and he has sustained heavy losses.’ The prestige of Russia’s great army has been tarnished.

‘He must not only bear the consequences of what he is doing to Ukraine, but he must also bear the consequences of what he is doing to his own troops.’

‘It’s something we’ve seen before. It constantly seems to get worse. More civilians are targeted, and more civilian places are targeted.’

Britain has cautioned President Zelensky to stand firm in the face of Russian aggression, fearing that other allies may press him to agree to a hastily negotiated peace settlement that benefits Putin.

The Kremlin announced earlier this week that it would withdraw some of its forces from Kyiv and Chernihiv if negotiations in Turkey advanced, implying that work toward a ceasefire had begun.

Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, told Sky News last night: ‘As a result of today, additional lethal aid will be sent to Ukraine.’

However, government officials are anxious that US Vice President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may press Zelensky to make considerable concessions in order to establish a peace agreement as soon as possible.

The aforementioned allied leaders looked ‘over-eager,’ according to a senior government source, to reach a peace deal, which might see Putin benefit from lower sanctions and avoid prosecution as a war criminal, among other concessions, in exchange for an end to hostilities in Ukraine.



‘Some of our allies may be too ready for [Zelensky] to settle,’ the insider added, before adding, ‘Before those discussions can take place, Ukraine must be in the strongest possible military position.’

Meanwhile, Zelensky is believed to have conveyed concern to Boris Johnson about Russia’s apparent reduction in military action in crucial regions, suggesting that Russian negotiators may be pretending progress in peace talks in order to buy time for fighting forces to reorganize and reposition.

It comes as Russian forces pulled out of a number of positions around Kiev, including the Hostomel airport, which is regarded to be a crucial strategic location, and the Chernobyl nuclear power facility, which they had held since the invasion began.

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Without Russian gas supplies, Europe would have a difficult time restocking its gas storage facilities.
Analysts have warned that if Russia’s gas exports are interrupted due to a dispute over payment terms, Europe’s plans to build inventories and assure gas supplies for next winter might be thrown off course, potentially leading to a reduction in industrial production.

Russia generally supplies roughly 40% of Europe’s natural gas needs, but the likelihood of supply disruptions has increased in recent weeks as a result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the refusal of G7 nations to accept Russian roubles as payment for their gas purchases. click here to find out more



According to the European Commission, gas stored in storage accounts for around a quarter of the total amount of gas consumed in Europe during the winter months, when it is a key heating fuel.

In an effort to ensure adequate supplies for the coming winter, the government has proposed legislation requiring gas storage operators to fill their facilities to at least 80% of their capacity by November 1.

Without Russian supplies, however, the task appears to be extremely difficult to complete with inventories being only around a quarter filled and below the five-year average for this time of year of just under 34 percent.

Storage of natural gas Europe’s gas archiving system Europe
Reuters Illustrations Reuters Illustrations
As long as at least some Russian natural gas continues to flow, the 80 percent objective by November 1 is doable, according to Jack Sharples, a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies in the United Kingdom. In terms of accomplishing it without Russian gas, though, I believe it is simply not doable at this time.

Germany, Europe’s top gas user, which relies on Russia for almost half of its needs, has set a target of 90 percent by November. Russia now supplies around half of Germany’s needs. The company’s gas reserves are currently 26 percent filled. click here to find out more

However, in an unprecedented action, the country on Wednesday activated an emergency plan, which might result in the government rationing electricity if Russia’s gas shipments are disrupted or suspended entirely. click here to find out more

READ ALSO: Two Russian fighter jets that trespassed the Swedish airspace earlier this month were loaded with NUKES
After declaring an EU-wide or regional gas supply emergency – which it can do if at least two countries have already issued their own declarations – the European Commission stated that immediate supply emergencies would take precedence over refilling storage, with targets no longer valid.

According to Kateryna Filippenko, Principal Analyst, Global Gas Supply at Wood Mackenzie, “If Russian flows cease tomorrow and do not resume until next winter or for the entire year or longer, storage will not be able to fill to the 80 percent level.”



“Most likely, in the EU, storage will account for slightly more than half of the total, perhaps about 54 percent.”



This, according to Filippenko, may create difficulties for the industrial sector because Europe would strive to protect vulnerable consumers by reducing industrial gas consumption by as much as a fifth.

In addition, the storage strategy is complicated by the fact that the Russian state-owned gas corporation Gazprom (GAZP.MM) controls numerous northwest European storage facilities, where stockpiles are at their lowest levels in at least five years.

Gazprom owns a third of the natural gas storage capacity in Germany (GAZP.MM).

Energy Aspects’ Leon Izbicki, Associate, European Natural Gas, said, “Gazprom is unlikely to attempt to fully refill these sites given the progressively lower contractual demand for Russian supply and the lack of appetite for Gazprom to sell on the spot market.” Izbicki is an expert in European natural gas.

The Trading Hub Europe (THE), a gas market hub regulated by Germany’s energy regulator, is permitted to use storage facilities that are empty or below specified filling levels in order to hold its own purchases if the country faces a risk of gas shortages, according to German legislation.

“Market managers such as THE are likely to take advantage of this opportunity under the ‘use it or lose it’ principle…and fill this capacity,” Izbicki said in an interview.

The European Commission has also proposed that, starting in 2023, all gas storage facilities should be 90 percent full by November 1 of the same year they were built.

It is the EU’s goal to reduce its reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and to completely phase out Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027.

IN A NUTSHELL
Anonymous said that the hack was retaliation against Russian President Vladimir Putin for his treatment of the Russian people and his invasion of the Ukrainian territory.

Anonymous hacktivists have already targeted a Russian television station (VGTRK) as well as other industrial companies.



The RostProekt construction company was the source of yet another tranche of leaked information..



The Trust Project is an international coalition of news companies dedicated to the development of standards for openness and transparency.

Anonymous Hacker Group Releases a Series of Information Data from the Russian Central Bank

In a recent release, the hacker collective Anonymous claimed to have obtained the data from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and released it in its entirety (CBRF).

On Friday, March 25, Anonymous released a video message in which they stated that the breach was retaliation against Russian President Vladimir Putin for his treatment of the Russian people and his invasion of Ukraine.

READ ALSO: A breakaway Georgian province, has declared its intention to join Russia in the war against Ukraine
“Vladimir Putin has been starving the Russian people for years,” said a masked man who identified himself only as Anonymous. The media was suppressed, and dissidents were persecuted by Putin. While he was having a good time in the Kremlin’s chambers, the Russian people were suffering economically. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is a deluding and depraved dictator, as well as a war criminal and a child murderer…. In Ukraine, hundreds of civilians and innocent people were killed on Putin’s instructions.”

Researchers are currently sifting through the documents to determine their authenticity and to determine what information may be obtained from the material contained inside them. It is a monumental mission that they must complete. Because of the sheer volume of data involved, it is possible that it will take weeks or months before any important findings or conclusions can be reached, which is not unreasonable.

Some of the leaked data have been made available on a variety of different platforms, including the website DDoSecrets, which stands for Distributed Denial of Secrets. Researchers in other countries will have to wait until the data has been translated into other languages because the original documents are in Russian.

Anonymous isn’t going away anytime soon.

While Anonymous could be forgiven for feeling satisfied with the results of their most recent operation, the group does not appear to be pleased with sitting on their laurels for long. Anonymous hacktivists have already targeted a Russian television station (VGTRK) as well as other industrial companies.

MashOil, a company that designs and manufactures drilling equipment and has ties to the state-owned Russian multinational energy behemoth Gazprom, is one of the companies being targeted. According to Emma Best, a co-founder of DDoSecrets, considerable material relates to sanctions that the company has encountered in the course of its operations.

If Anonymous stays true to its word, all of this may be swept aside in the coming months. According to the mysterious group, the next series of leaks will consist of 1.22TB of data that will “completely demolish” Russia’s infrastructure.



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