December 2021 Intelligence News

Norwegian Intelligence Service Boss Blames Russia for Digital Attacks Sputnik 27 Dec 2021 -- In response, the Russian embassy called the spying allegations "a set of worn-out clichés", stressing that in recent years, only one example of espionage between Norway and Russia has been proven in court, and the person in question had Norwegian citizenship.
Russian Soldier Arrested on Suspicion of Treason and Working for Ukraine Sputnik 24 Dec 2021 -- A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces was arrested in Russia's southwestern region of Voronezh on suspicion of treason and working for Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.
Defense chief confident in military's counter-espionage capabilities CNA 22 Dec 2021 -- Taiwan's defense minister said on Wednesday he had full confidence in the armed forces' counter-espionage capabilities in response to a foreign media report that China's spies had infiltrated the nation's military to steal defense technologies and defense plans.
Harvard professor convicted by US jury of 'lying' about China ties Press TV 22 Dec 2021 -- A professor at Harvard University has been convicted of charges that he lied about his ties to a Chinese recruitment program amid growing crackdown on China's influence within US research.
Harvard University Professor Convicted of Making False Statements and Tax Offenses US Dept. of Justice 21 Dec 2021 -- The former Chair of Harvard University's Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department was convicted by a federal jury today in connection with lying to federal authorities about his affiliation with the People's Republic of China's Thousand Talents Program and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in Wuhan, China, as well as failing to report income he received from WUT.
Russia Expels Two German Diplomats In Growing Spat Over Murder Verdict RFE/RL 20 Dec 2021 -- Russia says it is expelling two German diplomats from Moscow in a tit-for-tat move following Germany's expulsion of two Russian diplomats after a court in Berlin convicted a Russian man last week of fatally shooting a former Chechen militant in Berlin on the Kremlin's orders in 2019. Berlin had expelled two Russian diplomats in response.
Russia Expels Two German Diplomats Sputnik 20 Dec 2021 -- German ambassador in Moscow Geza Andreas von Geyr has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and informed about the expulsion of two German diplomats over Berlin's similar move, the ministry said on Monday.
Russia Expels 2 German Diplomats in Retaliatory Move VOA 20 Dec 2021 -- Russia expelled two German diplomats on Monday in response to Germany's expulsion of two Russian diplomats last week.
Legal amendments proposed to better handle Chinese spying cases CNA 19 Dec 2021 -- Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said Sunday he has proposed a bill that would amend four national security laws to include provisions to establish a dedicated legal system and judges to deal with Chinese espionage and other national security cases.
Russia Issues Travel Ban To Seven Britons In Response To U.K. Sanctions RFE/RL 17 Dec 2021 -- Russia has imposed a travel ban on seven unnamed British citizens in a tit-for-tat response to London's sanctions connected to the August 2020 poisoning of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
Former Defense Contractor Arrested for Attempted Espionage US Dept. of Justice 16 Dec 2021 -- South Dakota Man Emailed Classified Information to FBI Undercover Posing as Russian Agent
Moscow Dismisses German Court's Murder Verdict, Scholz Backs Expulsions RFE/RL 16 Dec 2021 -- Russia has rejected a Berlin court's ruling that Moscow was behind the shooting death of a former Chechen militant in Berlin more than two years ago, calling it "completely divorced from reality" and warned of retaliation over the issue, which Germany's new chancellor defended.
Foreign Ministry Statement Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 16 Dec 2021
Russia Not Involved in Khangoshvili's Murder, Believes Sokolov Innocent, Foreign Ministry Says Sputnik 16 Dec 2021 -- Russian state structures are not involved in the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin, and Moscow believes that Russian citizen Vadim Sokolov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, is innocent, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Russia: German court's state terrorism verdict in murder trial 'divorced from reality' Press TV 16 Dec 2021 -- Russia has blasted as "completely divorced from reality" a German court ruling that Moscow was behind the murder of a former rebel commander from Chechnya in the capital, Berlin, in 2019.
Moscow Court Rejects Release Request Of Cybersecurity Company Chief Arrested On Treason Charge RFE/RL 16 Dec 2021 -- A court in Moscow has rejected a request to release from pretrial detention the chief executive of a leading Russian cybersecurity company who was arrested in September on charges of state treason.
Report Uncovers Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei's Large Catalog of Surveillance Products Sputnik 16 Dec 2021 -- Documents recovered by The Washington Post reveal that Chinese Telecom giant Huawei has marketed its technologies to aid in population and corporate surveillance. One product has touted its success in China's far west Xinjiang region, where Beijing's treatment of the Uyghur people has garnered international condemnation.
Russia vows 'adequate response' in expulsion of diplomats from Germany Press TV 15 Dec 2021 -- Russia says it will adequately respond to the expulsion of two of its diplomats from Berlin, amid tensions between Moscow and the West.
Germany Expels Two Russian Diplomats After Court Finds Man Guilty Of Killing Ordered By Moscow RFE/RL 15 Dec 2021 -- Germany has expelled two Russian diplomats after a court in Berlin convicted a Russian man of fatally shooting a former Chechen militant in 2019 in Berlin on Moscow's orders.
Germany Expels 2 Russian Diplomats Over 2019 Killing VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- Germany is expelling two Russian diplomats over what a German court said was a Russian-ordered killing of a German citizen of Chechen origin in Berlin in 2019.
Report Indicates Greater Huawei Involvement in Surveillance VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- The Chinese telecom giant Huawei has consistently claimed it does not actively partner with the Chinese government in gathering intelligence on individuals within China, but a report by The Washington Post this week showing the company appears to have marketed surveillance technology to government customers calls the company's assertions into question.
UAE threatens to pull out of massive military deal with US Press TV 14 Dec 2021 -- The United Arab Emirates has reportedly threatened to quit a $23-billion military deal with the US over Washington's tough requirements meant to shield the weapons against what the Americans call "Chinese espionage."
Moscow Calls Out US Hypocrisy Amid Reports CIA is Planning Pivot to Focus on Russia, China Sputnik 11 Dec 2021 -- On Friday, informed sources told CNN that the Central Intelligence Agency was looking to overhaul the training and management of its spy network and operations to pivot away from 'counterterrorism' to focus more on its traditional and complex state adversaries China and Russia.
Amid Pandemic, Russian Disinformation With Chinese Characteristics VOA 10 Dec 2021 -- The Kremlin and Chinese Communist Party are learning from each other in shaping and conducting information warfare aimed at exacerbating political divisions in the West and undermining trust in democracy, according to a new study.
CIA overhauling its network of spies with focus on China and Russia: Report Press TV 10 Dec 2021 -- The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is overhauling how it trains and manages its network of spies to focus more closely on adversaries like China and Russia, according to a report.
UK's top court rules Assange can be extradited to US Press TV 10 Dec 2021 -- The British High Court has overturned a ruling that blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Juian Assange to the United Sates, deciding that he can be sent to America, where he faces a possible life in prison sentence.
'Unlawful Intrusion:' Kazakh Activists' Mobile Devices Infected With Pegasus Spyware RFE/RL 09 Dec 2021 -- Amnesty International says four Kazakh activists have had their mobile devices infected with Pegasus spyware in what it said further shows that the malicious software is being used by governments to try to "silence social movements and crush dissent."
Latvian Parliament Allows Probe Against Lawmaker Suspected Of Spying For Moscow RFE/RL 09 Dec 2021 -- Latvia's parliament has voted to allow a probe against Janis Adamsons, a former interior minister and a lawmaker from the opposition Social Democratic Saskana (Harmony) party, who is accused of spying for Russia.
CIA director: We don't know what Putin has decided on Ukraine Press TV 07 Dec 2021 -- US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns has said that American intelligence agencies have yet to conclude decisively that Russia will invade Ukraine, adding that they do not know what Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided.
Life Sentence Sought For Russian Accused Of 'State-Ordered' Killing Of Georgian In Berlin RFE/RL 07 Dec 2021 -- German federal prosecutors have demanded life in prison without parole for a Russian man accused of murdering a former Chechen commander in Berlin more than two years ago - allegedly on the orders of Moscow.
US Intel Accuses Russia of Planning 'Multi-Front Offensive' Against Ukraine as Early as 2022 Sputnik 04 Dec 2021 -- Over the last several weeks, tensions have remained high between the US and Russia as American authorities have accused Moscow of laying the groundwork for a potential invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected the unsubstantiated claims.
Israeli spyware Pegasus used to hack into phones of 11 US diplomats: Reports Press TV 04 Dec 2021 -- Apple Inc. has notified at least 11 US diplomats that their iPhones have been hacked by unknown assailants using Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli cyberarms firm NSO Group, according to multiple reports.
Russia Accuses Three Ukrainians Of Spying, Kyiv Rejects Charges RFE/RL 02 Dec 2021 -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has apprehended three Ukrainian nationals suspected of working for Ukraine's intelligence agencies, a claim Kyiv immediately rejected.

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