A 1,000-word op-ed, titled 'Russia's silent war against the west', appears in the Financial Times on April 15. The author is George Cristian Maior, former intelligence chief for Romania.
Maior writes that Russia is engaged in a relentless intelligence war against the west. Russian-cyber-warfare targets, he says, have included Germany, Estonia, Romania, Ukraine and Georgia.
"As James Clapper, the US director of National Intelligence, recently told the US Senate, the Russian threat is 'more severe than we have previously assessed'. The ability of Russian hackers to successfully access the State Department and White House computer networks should serve as a wake-up call."
Across Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area, Russia's intelligence offensive is being conducted with increasing determination and sophistication. This is a smart and modern war that goes well beyond the traditional intelligence requirements of "need to know," concerning the intentions of potential enemies.
"The tactical goals of Russian cyber-warfare vary depending on the circumstances. As with last year's attacks on the US, cyber-attacks launched against Romania and other Nato targets in 2013 were aimed at accessing classified information."
According to Maior, Putin's strategy in this regard is obvious: to undermine and destabilise the democratically elected governments of Russia's neighbours in order to gain political, economic and strategic influence within them.
Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09
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