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| tion Sharing German efforts to bolster cyber capabilities included adopting anew cyber security strategy in November 2016 that outlines a plan to confront a range of emerging cyber threats, including the kind of threats many analysts have attributed to Russia. Under this new cyber strategy, overseen by the BSI, rapid reaction cyber teams have been created across the government to respond quickly to cyber threats against government institutions and critical infrastructure. 750 The German government has also created anew ‘‘Cyber Command within its armed forces, staffed by about 13,500 military and other personnel. 751 A 2015 information technology security law established minimum standards for companies to protect critical cyber infrastructure and requires them to inform authorities about any critical incidents, in response to which BSI analyzes the threat and informs other companies who maybe at VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00137 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 132 752 Janosch Delcker,‘‘Germany’s Cybersecurity Chief on Hacking, Russia and Problems Hiring Experts Politico EU, Mar. 20, 2017; Act to Enhance the Security of Information Technology Systems (IT Security Act) (Gesetz zur Erhohung der Sicherheit informationstechnischer Systeme), German Federal Law Gazette 2015, Part I, No. 31, 1324, July 25, 2015. 753 Delcker, ‘‘Germany’s Cybersecurity Chief on Hacking, Russia and Problems Hiring Experts Politico EU Michael Schwirtz, German Election Mystery Why No Russian Meddling The New York Times, Sept. 21, 2017. Roland Oliphant, ‘‘ ‘There’s No Proof Putin Denies Hacking Elections as Angela Merkel Visits for Summit on Problematic Differences The Telegraph, May 2, 2017. risk of a similar attack. 752 BSI also advises parliamentary groups on how to protect themselves, and German political campaigns have agreed not to exploit any information that was the result of cyber hacking Direct Diplomatic Warnings Can Deter Kremlin Aggression In their tense May 2017 meeting, Chancellor Merkel publicly warned that there would be decisive measures taken against any attempts to interfere in the German election through cyberattacks or disinformation. She pointed to the hybrid warfare techniques as a hallmark of Russian military doctrine, but also underscored that she was not anxious about possible Russian interference. 754 VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00138 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 133 Sebastian Rotella, A Gangster Place in the Sun How Spain’s Fight Against the Mob revealed Russian Power Networks ProPublica, Nov. 10, 2017. 756 Ibid. 757 Ibid. 758 Ibid. 759 Ibid.; Jason Bush & Baczynska, Russia Grants Amnesty to Former Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov—Report,’’ Reuters, Mar. 6, 2014. An inquiry by the UK’s House of Commons concluded that order to kill Litvinenko was likely approved by Putin. United Kingdom House of Commons, The Litvinenko Inquiry Report into the Death of Alexander Litvinenko, at 244 (Mar. 2015); see Appendix B Sebastian Rotella, A Gangster Place in the Sun How Spain’s Fight Against the Mob revealed Russian Power Networks ProPublica, Nov. 10, 2017. SPAIN In Spain, the authorities have grappled with the pernicious activities of Russian-based criminal organizations for decades. Their efforts have revealed direct ties between the Russian mafia and senior members of Putin’s regime, as well as links between Putin himself and entities that have allegedly engaged in money laundering in Europe. Russia-based criminal organizations have reportedly been active in Catalonia for years, building their influence in politics and business and working to exploit rivalries between regional and national law enforcement entities. There is also an increasing body of evidence that Kremlin-run news outlets like RT and Sputnik, reinforced by bots and fake social media accounts, carried out a disinformation campaign during Catalonia’s independence referendum in October 2016. According to an extensive report by Sebastian Rotella published in ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization, the Russian mafia landed in Spain in the late s, when a high- ranking figure from St. Petersburg’s notorious Tambov gang, Gennady Petrov, made his home on the island of Mallorca, from where he ran a worldwide network of the gang’s businesses, including cobalt and cigarette smuggling through Finland, money laundering operations in Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, and the Czech Republic, and an embezzlement scheme in Germany that stole more than $100 million and resulted in thousands of shipyard workers losing their jobs. 755 Spanish law enforcement grew curious about the source of Petrov’s wealth—he had reportedly amassed $50 million in Spain alone—and began to monitor his phone calls. 756 They found that Petrov had active ties to senior officials throughout the Russian government. 757 He reportedly plotted with a senior justice ministry official in Moscow, who promised to intimidate a shipbuilder who was behind schedule in building a yacht for Petrov. A few days later, the shipbuilder was back on schedule. 758 And in a conversation with his son, Petrov boasted of meeting with Russia’s then defense minister, Anatoly Serdiukov, with whom he reportedly made deals involving real estate, airplanes, and energy investments (Serdiukov was sacked by Putin in 2012 during an anti-corruption campaign, and granted amnesty in Spanish prosecutors met with Alexander Litvinenko—the former Russian spy who some suspect was assassinated on orders from Putin—in June 2006 and persuaded him to testify against Russian mobsters in Spain about information he had from his time in Russia s intelligence services. 760 But Litvinenko’s killers got to him be- VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00139 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 134 Sebastian Rotella, A Gangster Place in the Sun How Spain’s Fight Against the Mob revealed Russian Power Networks ProPublica, Nov. 10, 2017. While mentioned in court documents, the officials were not actually charged. Ibid. 763 Download 0.63 Mb. Share with your friends:
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