March 3, 2025 (EIRNS)—A current official and two former officials confirmed to the New York Times that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a halt of offensive cyber operations against Russia. The move, the Times says, is apparently part of a broader effort to draw President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia into talks on Ukraine and a new relationship with the United States.
Hegseth’s orders to U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, was first reported on Feb. 28 by a cybersecurity journal called The Record, which noted that the order had been issued a week earlier.
The precise scope and duration of the Defense Department order is not clear, as the line between offensive and defensive cyberoperations is often a blurry one, the New York Times report goes on. Still, retaining access to major Russian networks for espionage purposes is critical to understanding Putin’s intentions as he enters negotiations, and to tracking the arguments within Russia about what conditions to insist upon and what could be given up.
