WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) – Ukraine is just not growing organic or nuclear weapons, and Russia’s claims that it’s doing so might be a false narrative pushed to cowl up strikes it could make in its struggle on its neighbour, US spy chief Avril Haines advised senators on Thursday (March 10).
“We do not assess that Ukraine is pursuing either biological weapons or nuclear weapons,” Haines, the director of nationwide intelligence, advised the Senate Intelligence Committee throughout an annual listening to on world threats.
Claims by Russian officers that Ukraine is pursuing or utilizing organic, chemical or nuclear weapons is a “classic” transfer to spin “false flag” narratives for harmful strikes that could be taken by President Vladimir Putin, Haines stated.
Ukraine – like many nations – does have bio analysis labs, however these are to defend in opposition to pandemics or assaults and are totally different from bioweapons labs, Haines and different officers stated.
Efforts by the United States and allied nations to shortly counter Russia’s claims has had “a great deal of effect” in disrupting Putin’s techniques and intentions, Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns testified throughout the listening to.
“This is one information war that I think Putin is losing,” Burns stated.
China ‘unsettled’
Burns stated that leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, together with President Xi Jinping, are “unsettled” by Putin’s actions in Ukraine, that are destabilising the world economic system and making it more durable to drive a wedge between the US and its European allies.
“What’s unfolded in Ukraine, the ugliness of it, the flawed assumptions that underpinned it from the point of view of President Putin, have unsettled the Chinese leadership a little bit,” the CIA chief stated. “They’re concerned about the way in which President Putin is driving Europeans and Americans closer together.”
Cryptocurrency strikes
Senators questioned whether or not Russian officers and entities being sanctioned will be capable of keep away from the implications through the use of cryptocurrencies. FBI director Christopher Wray testified that his bureau has extra experience and talent to cease Russians from doing finish runs round sanctions utilizing crypto than Moscow most likely understands or expects.
The intelligence chiefs repeated an evaluation they gave on Tuesday throughout a listening to earlier than the House Intelligence Committee that Russia is prone to face “a persistent and significant insurgency” after Putin misjudged how his struggle in opposition to Ukraine would unfold.
However, two weeks into the struggle, Putin stays decided to manage and dominate Ukraine, the spy chiefs stated.
Russia is going through “significantly more resistance” and “encountering serious military shortcomings,” Haines stated, throughout Thursday’s listening to. However, Putin “probably remains confident” he can nonetheless defeat Ukraine, she stated.
The efforts by US intelligence to evaluate and disclose Russia’s intentions and counter its actions obtained bipartisan reward from lawmakers throughout each hearings.
“The people of Ukraine are literally voting with their lives,” Senate Intelligence chairman Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, stated.
The panel’s high Republican, Marco Rubio of Florida, stated Putin’s “barbarism is a shocking opening chapter in the return of history.”
“This is a monster you cannot make a deal with. This is a monster that has to be defeated,” Rubio stated.
Follow The Straits Times’ dwell protection on the Ukraine disaster right here.
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