Trial begins for 2 Swedes charged with spying for Russia
November 25, 2022 GMTSTOCKHOLM (AP) — Two Iranian-born Swedish brothers were on trial in Sweden Friday, charged with spying for Russia and its military intelligence service GRU for a decade.
Peyman Kia, 42, and Payam Kia, 35, appeared before the Stockholm District Court to face charges of having worked jointly to pass information to Russia between Sept.
Former German reserve officer convicted of spying for Russia
November 18, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A former German military reserve officer was convicted Friday of spying for Russian intelligence for several years and given a suspended sentence of a year and nine months.
The Duesseldorf state court found that the defendant was in contact from October 2014 at the latest with several high-ranking employees of the military attache's office at the Russian Embassy in Berlin who also worked for Russia's GRU military intelligence service.
Iran-born brothers charged in Sweden with spying for Russia
November 11, 2022 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Two Iranian-born brothers were charged in Sweden with aggravated espionage for allegedly spying for Russia and its military intelligence service GRU for around a decade, prosecutors said Friday.
Japan, Canada to formally begin intelligence sharing talks
October 11, 2022 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japan and Canada agreed to formally start talks toward signing a military intelligence information sharing accord as their foreign ministers on Tuesday adopted an action plan to strengthen cooperation on defense, economic security and other areas amid growing threats from China and Russia.
Ukraine reclaims more territory, reports capturing many POWs
September 12, 2022 GMTKHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops expanded their territorial gains Monday, pushing all the way to the country's northeastern border in places, and claimed to have captured a record number of Russian soldiers as part of the lightning advance that forced Moscow to make a hasty retreat.
3 Finnish journalists on trial for revealing defense secrets
August 25, 2022 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three journalists went on trial Thursday in Finland on charges of revealing national defense secrets for allegedly publishing classified documents in a newspaper article.
German reservist on trial accused of spying for Russia
August 11, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A German army reservist went on trial Thursday in Duesseldorf accused of providing sensitive military information tor Russia.
Prosecutors alleged that the 65-year-old lieutenant colonel of the reserve, whose was only identified as Ralph G.
Live updates | Russia returns 210 dead Mariupol defenders
June 8, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military intelligence agency says Russia has so far turned over the bodies of 210 Ukrainian fighters killed in the battle for Mariupol. It says most of them were among the last holdouts in the Azovstal steelworks.
Poland arrests Russian and Belarusian for alleged spying
April 27, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Russian man and a Belarusian man have been arrested in Poland for three months on allegations of spying for Russia’s special services, security authorities in Poland said Wednesday.
Live updates | Ukraine says it hit Russian command post
April 24, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military said Saturday it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.
The Ukrainian military intelligence agency posted a statement saying the command post was hit on Friday and two generals were killed and one was critically wounded.
Ukraine says potent Russian hack against power grid thwarted
April 12, 2022 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Russian military hackers attempted to knock out power to millions of Ukrainians last week in a long-planned attack but were foiled, Ukrainian government officials said Tuesday.
At one targeted high-voltage power station, the hackers succeeded in penetrating and disrupting part of the industrial control system, but people defending the station were able to prevent electrical outages, the Ukrainians said.
US charges Russian oligarch, dismantles cybercrime operation
April 6, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has charged a Russian oligarch linked to the Kremlin with violating U.S. government sanctions, and disrupted a cybercrime operation that was launched by a Russian military intelligence agency, officials said Wednesday.
Mexican leader brushes off US allegations of Russia spies
March 25, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday brushed off comments by a senior U.S. military official who said there are more Russian spies in Mexico than anywhere else in the world.
Slovaks charge 2 with spying for Russia’s military service
March 15, 2022 GMTPRAGUE (AP) — Slovak authorities have broken a Russian spying network that was operating on Slovak territory, officials said on Tuesday.
Stefan Hamran, the country’s chief police officer said four Slovak nationals have been detained in the case with two of them facing spying and bribery charges.
US, Britain accuse Russia of cyberattacks targeting Ukraine
February 18, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House blamed Russia on Friday for this week's cyberattacks targeting Ukraine’s defense ministry and major banks and warned of the potential for more significant disruptions in the days ahead.
Rwanda to reopen its Uganda border, ending a tense standoff
January 28, 2022 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Rwandan authorities said early Friday they would reopen the border with Uganda, ending nearly three years of a standoff that appeared to hurt both countries' economies and raised fears of armed hostilities.
Doctor goes on trial in Germany accused of torture in Syria
January 19, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A court in Germany began hearing a case Wednesday against a Syrian doctor accused of crimes against humanity for torturing and killing inmates at a government-run prison and two military hospitals in his home country.
Israel says it took down Iranian spy ring targeting women
January 12, 2022 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Wednesday that it had broken up an Iranian spy ring that recruited Israeli women via social media. The women agreed to photograph sensitive sites, gather intelligence and in at least two cases, to encourage their sons to join Israeli military intelligence.
Ex-intel chief confirms Israel’s role in Soleimani killing
December 21, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's former military intelligence chief says the country was involved in the American airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. It was the first public acknowledgement of Israel's role in the operation.
US orders arms embargo on Cambodia, cites Chinese influence
December 9, 2021 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. has ordered an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing deepening Chinese military influence, corruption and human rights abuses by the government and armed forces in the Southeast Asian country.
Bulgaria accuses military officials of spying for Russia
November 18, 2021 GMTSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian military prosecutors on Thursday indicted a group of serving and retired military officials on charges of spying for Russia.
The indictment filed in a military court accuses six people of collecting and passing classified information to a foreign country, the prosecutors said.
Journalist sought by Russia ordered to pay defamation damage
October 6, 2021 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court has ordered an investigative journalist to pay 156,000 rubles ($2,155) in compensation to a Dutch blogger who he alleged has ties to the Russia's military intelligence agency.
UK police charge 3rd Russian in 2018 poisoning of ex-spy
September 21, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — British police said Tuesday they are charging a third Russian suspect, a member of the country's military intelligence service, in the 2018 nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England.
Jan. 6 panel hires former House Republican to senior staff
August 7, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol has hired former Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman as a senior staff member, bringing on the one-term Virginia lawmaker as GOP leaders have criticized the panel as too partisan.
AP Interview: PM says Iraq doesn’t need US combat troops
July 26, 2021 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister says his country no longer requires American combat troops to fight the Islamic State group, but a formal time frame for their redeployment will depend on the outcome of talks with U.S.
NSA discloses hacking methods it says are used by Russia
July 2, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and British agencies disclosed on Thursday details of “brute force” methods they say have been used by Russian intelligence to try to break into the cloud services of hundreds of government agencies, energy companies and other organizations.
Blinken hasn’t seen any evidence on AP Gaza building strike
May 17, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he hasn't yet seen any evidence supporting Israel's claim that Hamas operated in a Gaza building housing The Associated Press and other media outlets that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.
Bulgaria to expel Russian diplomat amid ammo depot probe
April 29, 2021 GMTSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A Russian diplomat will be expelled from Bulgaria after prosecutors alleged Russian involvement in explosions at several ammunition depots in the Balkan country, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said Thursday...
Russia expels Czech diplomats, says Prague took hostile step
April 18, 2021 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Sunday ordered 20 Czech diplomats to leave the country within a day in response to the Czech government's expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats it identified as spies for a military intelligence agency that Prague claims was involved in a 2014 ammunition depot explosion...
Swedish sports body hacked by Russians, officials say
April 13, 2021 GMTSTOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — The organization that oversees Sweden's national sports federations was hacked by Russian military intelligence in 2017-18, officials said Tuesday, in a data-breaching campaign that also affected some of the world's leading sporting bodies, including FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency...
German charged with passing parliament floor plans to Russia
February 25, 2021 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A German man has been charged with espionage for allegedly passing information on properties used by the German parliament to Russian military intelligence, prosecutors said Thursday...
US charges North Korean computer programmers in global hacks
February 18, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of global hacks, including a destructive attack targeting an American movie studio, and in the attempted theft and extortion of more than $1...
Bulgaria to expel Russian diplomat suspected of spying
December 18, 2020 GMTSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria's foreign ministry said on Friday that a Russian diplomat had 72 hours to leave the country after prosecutors accused him of spying and gathering military information including the number of U...
Norway intel: Russians likely behind parliament hacking
December 8, 2020 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s domestic security agency said Tuesday that Russian hackers linked to Russia’s military intelligence service GRU are “likely” behind a cyberbreach earlier this year of the Norwegian parliament's email system...
Nigerian soldiers had live ammo during deadly protest
November 22, 2020 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The Nigerian Army has admitted for the first time that soldiers were given live bullets when they went to disperse a large crowd at the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos, where several peaceful protesters were killed in late October...
EU slaps sanctions on 2 Russians over Germany cyberattack
October 22, 2020 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Thursday imposed sanctions on two Russian officials and part of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency over a cyberattack against the German parliament in 2015...
6 Russian officers charged in ‘destructive’ hacking campaign
October 20, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced charges against Russian intelligence officers in cyberattacks that targeted a French presidential election, the Winter Olympics in South Korea and American businesses...
6 Russian military officers charged in vast hacking campaign
October 20, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced charges Monday against Russian intelligence officers in cyberattacks that targeted a French presidential election, the Winter Olympics in South Korea and American businesses...
Rwanda seeks genocide suspect’s extradition from France
August 26, 2020 GMTKIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda’s government has written to France requesting the extradition of a key suspect in the East African nation’s genocide a quarter-century ago, officials said Wednesday...
Denmark suspends foreign spy agency chief, 2 others
August 24, 2020 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark's government said Monday that the head of the country's foreign intelligence service has been “relieved of duty for the time being” after an independent watchdog heavily criticized the spy agency for deliberately withholding information and violating Danish laws...
First-ever EU cyber sanctions hit Russian, Chinese, NKoreans
July 30, 2020 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Thursday imposed its first-ever sanctions over cyberattacks, slapping them on alleged Russian military agents, Chinese cyber spies and organizations including a North Korean firm...
US jabs Russia over claim of spreading virus disinformation
July 29, 2020 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — U.S. officials say Russian intelligence officers are spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic through English-language websites, trying to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain before the presidential election in November...
US officials: Russia behind spread of virus disinformation
July 29, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say Russian intelligence officers are spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic through English-language websites, trying to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain before the presidential election in November...
Biden slams Trump over reported bounties placed on US troops
June 27, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump on Saturday over a report that he said, if true, contains a “truly shocking revelation” about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U...
Germany confronts Russian ambassador over cyberattack
May 28, 2020 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany said Thursday it is seeking EU sanctions against a Russian man over his alleged role in the hacking of the German parliament at a time when evidence shows he was working for Russian intelligence...
Merkel: evidence of Russian role in German parliament hack
May 13, 2020 GMTBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday there is “hard evidence” of Russian involvement in a cyberattack on the German parliament in 2015 that reportedly also involved the theft of documents from her own parliamentary office...
US, UK and Estonia accuse Russia of cyber attack on Georgia
March 5, 2020 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States, United Kingdom and Estonia accused Russia’s military intelligence Thursday of conducting cyber attacks against the Georgian government and media websites in an attempt “to sow discord and disrupt the lives of ordinary Georgians...
Georgia blames Russia for cyberattack, US, UK agree
February 20, 2020 GMTTBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgian authorities on Thursday accused Russia's military intelligence of launching a large-scale cyberattack that targeted the government and private organizations with the goal of destabilizing the ex-Soviet nation ...
Japan, South Korea meet after saving intelligence pact
November 23, 2019 GMTNAGOYA, Japan (AP) — The Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers met on the sidelines of a Japan-hosted G-20 meeting Saturday, a day after Seoul kept alive a 2016 military intelligence sharing pact with Tokyo, reversing its planned termination amid bilateral tensions...
Self-confessed Chinese spy spills secrets in Australia
November 23, 2019 GMTPERTH, Australia (AP) — A self-confessed Chinese spy has given Australia's counterespionage agency inside intelligence on how Beijing conducts its interference operations abroad and revealed the identities of China’s senior military intelligence officers in Hong Kong, media reported...
In reversal, Seoul to keep Japan military intelligence pact
November 22, 2019 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a major policy reversal, South Korea said Friday it has decided to continue, at least temporarily, a 2016 military intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan that it previously said it would terminate amid ongoing tensions over wartime history and trade...
Seoul faces major decision over military pact with Tokyo
November 20, 2019 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Squeezed between a growing North Korean threat and a shaky alliance with the United States, South Korea must decide this week whether its national pride and deep frustrations with Japan are worth killing a major symbol of their security cooperation with Washington.
Spanish court publishes ruling on Venezuelan ex-spy chief
September 17, 2019 GMTMADRID (AP) — Spain's National Court says it rejected the extradition to the United States of a former Venezuelan military spy chief accused of drug smuggling and other charges because the charges lacked detail and accepted the defense's claim that it was politically motivated...
Japan’s move to lower South Korea trade status takes effect
August 28, 2019 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japan's downgrading of South Korea's trade status took effect Wednesday, a decision that has already set off a series of reactions hurting their relations...
Japan leader says S. Korea ending intel deal damages trust
August 23, 2019 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said South Korea's decision to cancel a deal to share military intelligence, mainly on North Korea, is damaging mutual trust and vowed Friday to work closely with the U...
The Latest: Seoul will push to boost US military alliance
August 23, 2019 GMTTOKYO (AP) — The Latest on South Korea ending an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan (all times local):
3:20 p.m.
South Korea says it will push to bolster its military alliance with the United States amid worries that its decision to terminate its intelligence-sharing deal with Japan would weaken the Seoul-Washington alliance.
Canada: Huawei 5G wireless decision to wait until after vote
July 30, 2019 GMTOTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadians won't find out until after this fall's federal election whether Chinese tech giant Huawei can provide equipment for the country's next-generation 5G wireless network, Canada's public safety minister said Tuesday.
2 Russian spies sentenced in Montenegro in coup attempt
May 9, 2019 GMTPODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A Montenegro court on Thursday sentenced two Russian military intelligence operatives and 11 others to up to 15 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO...