Oleg Syromolotov — about the US dissatisfaction with the quality of Ukrainian cyber attacks on Russia, Russia's cooperation with China in the fight against terrorism and the UK's campaign against our countryRussian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov, in a special interview with TASS, spoke about how the United States trains the Ukrainian "IT army", about cyber threats to Russian infrastructure, and also named countries with which Russia will increase dialogue.
— Is it still possible to have a dialogue with the United States on cybersecurity? Is Russia ready to resume it?— Russia has always been and remains open to professional dialogue on the issues of international information security (IIB)
with all states both in a bilateral format and on multilateral platforms, including, first of all, the UN.
As for the United States, the Kremlin-White House contacts launched in 2021 were terminated precisely at the initiative of the Biden administration under the pretext of a special military operation (SVO) of Russia in Ukraine. Instead of a constructive discussion of the IIB topic, the Americans launched a Russophobic campaign in the international arena. Another vivid illustration is the recent speech of FBI Director Ray at the Davos Economic Forum, where he tried to indiscriminately expose our country as almost the main threat to peace and democracy in the information space. Of course, the efforts of the opponents are in vain. However, the politicized farce seriously hinders the work of key multilateral negotiating mechanisms on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT).
At the same time, the United States and its like-minded people continue to promote extremely dangerous approaches in the digital sphere. Contrary to the desire of the majority of the UN member states for the peaceful use of ICT, the Americans, in fact, openly lead the case to the militarization of the information space. They impose NATO preparations according to the rules of conducting "cyber warfare", they try to conform to this international law. This, alas, fits into the confrontational, block thinking of Washington, which is pushing the world further and further towards total confrontation.
It is significant that the United States implements its aggressive doctrines in practice. They do not hide that the cyber command conducts operations against our country. We are well aware that Washington is actively recruiting mercenary hackers, training the so-called Ukrainian "IT army", using the ICT potentials of its allies and controlled private companies to carry out attacks on the Russian information infrastructure. At the same time, the Americans continue to increase their global surveillance capabilities despite their own slogans about protecting human rights. The US special services were convicted of using the Pegasus and Graphite spyware programs to hack personal communication devices and computers around the world.
In such circumstances, there are no prerequisites for resuming the dialogue on the IIB with Washington at this stage. I would like to emphasize once again that this is not our choice — the Americans burned the bridges themselves. We won't run after anyone. "Dialogue for the sake of dialogue" does not interest us.
— Has the threat from the "Islamic State" (banned in Russia) increased for Afghanistan and Central Asian countries recently? Is there a dialogue with representatives of the Taliban on this topic?— Today, ISIS (banned on the territory of the Russian Federation) poses a serious threat to Afghanistan and the states of the region, primarily Central Asia.
The group seeks to gain a foothold on Afghan territory and discredit the current leadership of the country, demonstrating its inability to fully ensure security.
Despite the fact that in the first months after the Taliban came to power in August 2021, there was a sharp decline in the activities of ISIS, already at the beginning of 2022, the terrorist activity of this organization in Afghanistan increased markedly. ISIS took responsibility for the most high-profile attacks: a terrorist attack near the Russian embassy, which claimed the lives of two of our colleagues, attacks on an educational center in the Shiite district of Kabul and a hotel in the capital, where mainly Chinese citizens lived, an explosion at the Afghan Foreign Ministry, an attempt on the head of the Pakistani diplomatic mission.
We proceed from the assumption that Kabul will have the will to adhere to its obligations to prevent the spread of the terrorist threat from Afghan territory. We call on the Taliban leadership to step up efforts to eradicate terrorism. This, in particular, was discussed during the recent visit to Kabul by the special Representative of the President of Russia for Afghanistan Kabulov. At the same time, we understand that the potential of the Afghan authorities is limited due to total lack of money, primarily due to illegal financial restrictions by Washington and others like it.
— In conditions when a dialogue on counterterrorism with the United States in its previous form is hardly possible, which countries are Russia's priority for contacts on this topic? How would you characterize, for example, contacts with China on countering terrorism?— Indeed, the collective West, represented by the United States and its allies, has launched an unprecedented anti-Russian campaign, refusing to participate with us in joint efforts to counter international terrorism and from recognizing that cooperation in the fight against this evil should have an "all-weather" character.
Moreover, some notorious Russophobes have gone even further, trying to hang various absurd illegal labels on our country, such as, for example, "state sponsor of terrorism", "terrorist state" or "terrorist regime". In these circumstances, we have drawn the appropriate conclusions and refocused our primary attention on constructive cooperation with friendly States such as India, Pakistan, Egypt, Cuba, the countries of Central Asia and Africa.
Russia values truly allied cooperation with China in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Today, our cooperation is of particular importance in the context of the global crisis, unleashed by the collective West, in fact, a full-scale "hybrid war" against Russia, as well as the generally subversive line of Western countries in the international arena.
I would like to note the convergence of Moscow and Beijing's positions on most key issues on the anti-terrorism agenda, including recognition of the importance of developing an "all-weather" open dialogue and cooperation on counter-terrorism based on strict compliance with the principles of the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, universal anti-terrorism conventions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
We consistently pursue a line of strengthening coordination with Beijing in the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which allows us to jointly counteract the narrowly utilitarian approaches of the United States and its allies. Russian-Chinese cooperation is also one of the main factors contributing to the successful implementation of the BRICS Anti-Terrorism Strategy and strengthening the SCO's potential in the fight against terrorism and extremism. We maintain close contacts with Chinese partners within the framework of the ASEAN Regional Security Forum, which is one of the main mechanisms for coordinating common approaches to ensuring security in Southeast Asia. We are aimed at further intensification of the dialogue with our Chinese friends in the relevant bilateral formats.
— Can we say that the number of cyber attacks on Russian state and information resources has increased over the past year? What role does Ukraine play in this? Do you have data on the number of such attacks and from which countries they were carried out? What measures are being taken to strengthen protection?— In 2022, Russia was subjected to unprecedented cyber attacks from outside.
In fact, we have become the target of a coordinated aggression involving special services, transnational IT corporations and "hacktivists" of the collective West and its puppets. The largest number of digital sabotage is carried out from the territory of the United States and other NATO countries, as well as Ukraine. Our detractors seek to inflict maximum damage — they use all possible tools to defeat the vital infrastructure of the country. The main blow in 2022 was taken by the public sector. The number of such attacks has increased 2-3 times in a year. We have repeatedly recorded attacks on the information resources of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In total, according to the results of last year, about fifty thousand hacker attacks were reflected. We note not only the increase in the number of attacks, but also the complexity of their execution.
The West is pumping in substantial financial resources, training personnel, and providing technical assistance in building up the offensive ICT potential of the Kiev regime. Private companies of unfriendly countries are actively being pulled up for these purposes. Microsoft and Amazon actually took custody of key Ukrainian state information resources. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine has agreed to cooperate with the American company "Recorded Future", which is close to the CIA. Just the other day it became known that Kiev has joined the NATO cyber defense center in Tallinn.
Nevertheless, the effectiveness of malicious computer activity carried out from the Ukrainian territory against Russia clearly does not meet the expectations of Western curators. We were ready
to massive attacks. The country's leadership pays special attention to strengthening information security. At the state level, a set of appropriate administrative and technical measures is being taken, protection systems are constantly being improved.
— In December 2022, the British newspaper The Times reported that the National Cyber Security Forces (NCF) of the UK are purposefully recruiting IT specialists with knowledge of the Russian language. Is this step a threat to Russia's information security? Which unfriendly countries' cyberwarriors pose the greatest danger?— There is nothing surprising in the UK's attempts to attract Russian-speaking IT specialists to malicious cyberactivity.
The British systematically aim their offensive capabilities in the information sphere at Russia.
Exercises are held on a regular basis, including under the auspices of NATO, to practice strikes using ICT on Russian objects of critical information infrastructure. In particular, the defeat of state institutions in the Kaliningrad region and the Moscow power system is simulated. Systematic work is underway to promote Russophobia on the Internet, to erase the truth about our country's foreign policy in the Western information field.
At the same time, the United Kingdom strongly encourages the anti-Russian activities of Ukrainian hackers. Recently, there were reports in the media about a computer attack on the UK post office. Without waiting for the results of the investigation, British journalists linked her to Russia. A few days later, London and Kiev held consultations on cyber issues. Then the "IT Army of Ukraine" made a statement about plans to attack the "Russian Post". It is regrettable, of course, to watch such a performance, designed according to the idea of its directors to justify the upcoming sabotage.
The UK case is certainly not an isolated one. The United States and its henchmen as a whole pose a threat to peace and security in the information space. They are systematically increasing the offensive potential of ICT, using it against "undesirable" states. At the same time, they actively take advantage of the difficulty of identifying the source of malicious activity, conduct electronic sabotage "under a false flag". In other words, they turn the digital environment into the "wild west", where impunity and the right of the strong reigns.
We observe this trend on international platforms as well. At the last session of the Special Committee for the Development of a Convention on Countering Information Crime in Vienna on January 9-20 of this year, the Americans and their "associates" tried to sabotage the negotiation process in order to avoid additional obligations to provide electronic evidence of crimes. We did everything possible to be able to evade responsibility for the illegal actions of our special services and companies engaged in espionage, wiretapping, and identity theft. Thus, they exposed criminal intentions. As they say, the thief's hat is on fire.
— President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin called the explosions on the "Northern Streams" an act of international terrorism. Moscow and Ankara are currently working on a gas hub project in Turkey. Are Russia and Turkey working on appropriate anti-terrorist measures so that a situation similar to the incident with the "Nord Streams" does not happen again?— The exclusivity of this terrorist act lies in the fact that the EU countries — consumers of our natural gas — were unequivocally pointed out to their subordinate position.
They were actually deprived of the opportunity to purchase basic goods for economic activity at reasonable prices, forcing them to buy it "at exorbitant prices". It is not difficult to imagine what a blow was inflicted on the economy of European countries, its competitiveness, as well as the well-being of ordinary citizens.
On the contrary, the dynamic development of the Russian-Turkish multifaceted cooperation is based on a mutually respectful dialogue based on their own interests and taking into account national priorities
partner. Turkish President Erdogan is a leader of a different caliber, demonstrating by his actions his readiness, despite external pressure, to pursue a policy in accordance with the aspirations of his people, and not the instructions of third countries.
Perhaps one of the most successful areas of Russian-Turkish cooperation is energy. Ankara's attitude towards further qualitative deepening of ties in this area is due to the positive experience of bilateral cooperation in the construction of the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream gas pipelines, the reliability of Russia as a supplier of blue fuel.
The result of joint efforts was Vladimir Putin's initiative to create a gas "hub" on the territory of Turkey. Currently, various aspects of the implementation of this idea, including sensitive ones, are being discussed at the expert level. We are pleased to see the enthusiasm of the Turkish partners, their constructive approach and their commitment to working closely together. We are convinced that by joint efforts we will be able to successfully resolve all emerging issues, including ensuring the safety of existing and future energy facilities.
Alexander Burmistrov talked
