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Biden task force investigating how US tech ends up in Iranian attack drones used against Ukraine, 21 December 2022
The [administration] of US President Joe Biden has launched an expansive task force to investigate how US and western components, including American-made microelectronics, are ending up in Iranian-made drones russia is launching by the hundreds into Ukraine. Agencies across Washington are involved in the task force, including the departments of Defense, State, Justice, Commerce and Treasury. "European Truth" writes about this with reference to CNN.
The effort is being overseen by the White House National Security Council as part of an even bigger, “holistic approach” to dealing with Iran, a senior administration official said, from its crackdown on protesters and its nuclear program to its deepening role in the war in Ukraine.
The US has imposed severe export restrictions to prevent Iran from having access to advanced technology, but Tehran has been able to circumvent current sanction regimes and has added more capabilities and resiliency to its weapons.
The expansive task force should, among other things, contact all American manufacturers whose products were found in the Iranian drones that were shot down in Ukraine. The group will also coordinate actions with colleagues from other countries.
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Ukraine: Global outrage over Russian invasion leads to sanctions, demands for businesses to divest
The associations accuse TotalEnergies of indirectly contributing to the Russian war effort by continuing to exploit a deposit after military aggressions started in Ukraine.
After The Insider’s initial report regarding supplies to the Russian military was made public, Auchan executives promptly issued a response refuting any association with the supplies or assistance provided by their regional stores to volunteers collecting aid for the mobilized. However, recent evidence, comprising documents, photos, and videos, being released by The Insider, reveals that Auchan was fully aware of the destination of the goods and actively participated in concealing the supplies intended for the Defense Ministry as regular commercial sales to private entities.
The West had sought to largely ground the country’s carriers, but they continue to operate by skirting global rules and cannibalizing older planes for parts.
One year into Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine, as western companies flee the country, fearful of the reputational and legal risk of continuing to do business there, Raiffeisen finds itself stuck.
Tools, cigarettes and clothes sold by French retailer Auchan supply Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian front, sometimes with the complicity of its Russian subsidiary.
A US oil multinational funded by the Scottish Government exported oil and gas drilling equipment from Montrose to Russia three months after ministers called on businesses in Scotland to cease trading with the country.
European dependence on Russian oil and gas enabled the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It can be ended only by breaking the chains of global addiction to fossil fuels and ending the political and economic dominance of oil majors.
"A complaint against TotalEnergies by two associations for “war crimes complicity” for allegedly helping produce fuel for Russian warplanes that have bombed Ukraine has been shelved by prosecutors."
According to research by ZDF and Der Spiegel, the German BASF's subsidiary Wintershall Dea supplies gas condensate to the Russian state corporation Gazprom. Gazprom, in turn, is Russia's most important producer of aviation fuel and is said to have supplied aviation fuel to two military bases suspected of being responsible for airstrikes on civilian targets.
Ten Greenpeace activists who blocked a tanker carrying Russian diesel have been cleared of aggravated trespass by a judge who said the war in Ukraine "could be described as terrorism".
A joint venture of the German company Wintershall Dea delivered gas condensate to Kremlin-controlled Gazprom, which in turn provided aviation fuel to two military bases believed to be behind air strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine that have been internationally criticised as possible war crimes.
"Two NGOs have filed a complaint against French energy giant TotalEnergies for "complicity in war crimes" for allegedly helping fuel Russian planes that have bombed Ukraine, according to French media reports."
Swedish furniture giant Ikea posted a six percent rise in full-year sales on Thursday, in what it described as a "challenging" year due to inflation and scaling back in Russia.
At midnight on August 10, the European Union’s sanctions on Russian coal came into effect. After a four-month wind-down period, it became an offense for EU entities to “purchase, import, or transfer, directly or indirectly, coal” that originates in, or is exported from, Russia.
A Global Witness investigation released today reveals that a Siberian gas field joint-owned by French oil giant TotalEnergies has been providing oil to a refinery fuelling Russian warplanes throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
After Siemens had previously decided to not take on new projects in Russia and Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the company has now announced its complete withdrawal from Russia and will cease its business activities entirely.
The European Commission is proposing phasing out Russian crude oil within six months and refined oil by the end of the year, with most recent plans giving Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic longer phase-out periods.
With each day of the invasion, the pressure grows on Western companies to shutter their operations in Russia. Businesses that continue to operate there will have to withdraw sooner or later, DW's Miodrag Soric writes.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his team have been tracking which companies have withdrawn from Russia, which are making partial moves, and which are staying put. Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian say that their goal is simple: “Every corporation with a presence in Russia must publicly commit to a total cessation of business there.”
As sanctions against Russia increase, many firms have pulled out and are making active contributions, but there are questions of whether this is a one-off or the start of a larger change.
The UN Global Compact Network UK calls on the business community to act now and help civilians caught up in the devasting humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. We understand that the private sector is contending with sanctions against Russia, supply chain cost inflation, and overall instability; however, at times like this it is more important than ever for businesses to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence, putting people and planet at the heart of their actions.
Top pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and Europe said they’re halting recruitment for clinical trials in Russia, while continuing to send medicine and other health supplies to help those in need.
Many foreign companies operating in Ukraine have swiftly moved to support the country as it defends itself from the Russian invasion. Sebastian Shehadi speaks to those on the ground assisting in any way they can.
The invasion of Ukraine is causing a mass exodus of companies from Russia. Some companies have concluded that the risks, both reputational and financial, are too great to continue.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea threatens to disrupt exports of commodities such as grains and oilseeds from both countries, while the prospect of toughened sanctions against Russia could disrupt energy and metals supplies.
Russia’s oil and gas industries have gotten a lot of attention in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but some experts say Russia's mining interests could also complicate the U.S. response to the nation's invasion of its neighbor.
For years, Germany's policy on Russia has been to promote political change through trade. Now, German companies with investments in Russia and in Ukraine are faced with imperiled staff and uncertainty.
The West has moved to punish Russia with a raft of measures, including closing airspace to Russian aircraft and shutting out some Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial network.
European sports and entertainment businesses were among the first to announce such moves, including Premier League club Manchester United who withdrew the sponsorship rights of Russian airline Aeroflot.
While the International Bar Association condemned Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, several leading law firms (Baker McKenzie, CMS, Dentons and Kinstella) have closed their local branches citing staff safety and well-being as the highest priority.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC ) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine and call for peace
A French court requested further guarantees from the United States authorities before extraditing a Greek businessman wanted by the US for alleged involvement in smuggling sensitive technologies to the Russian military
Investors are increasing their engagement with semiconductor companies due to evidence that Western-made microelectronics are being used in Russian and Iranian weapon systems.
In spite of sanctions, microchips from U.S. companies Texas Instruments and Analog Devices continue to be imported into Russia, where they have military applications. These violations are hiding in plain sight, in registered customs data.
American machine tools giant Haas Automation faced allegations in March it sold technology to the Russian arms industry via a former distributor. Haas denied the story and said it halted sales when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. But research shows Haas may still be supplying the Russian arms industry indirectly.
A study shows that only 17% of Western firms with local Russian units prior to the invasion of Ukraine have exited Russia. Those that remain are paying Moscow billions in taxes, indirectly bankrolling the Ukraine war.
Amid the Ukrainian conflict, Russia is employing an expanding arsenal of surveillance technologies to suppress dissent within its borders, while nurturing a tech contractor industry that facilitates digital surveillance. Among the companies offering these technologies are Citadel, MFI Soft, Vas Experts, and Protei, all of which are raising global human rights concerns due to leaked files detailing their attempts to sell these tools abroad.
An official partner and distributor of Rockwool supplied materials to the Russian Navy for use in the construction of three advanced frigates. Still, the Danish stone wool giant vehemently denies having any customer relationship with Russia’s military.
Western sanctions are meant to prevent Russia from supplying its military from abroad, but sensitive electronics are still getting through. Reporters traced several of these supply chains through Kazakhstan — and found that they run through companies newly established by Russians.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West announced tough new sanctions and tech companies said they had halted all exports to Russia. Yet supplies of Western computer parts continued, a joint investigation finds.
DJI Technology Co temporarily suspends business in Russia and Ukraine to ensure that no one uses their drones in combat. The company denies allegations of leaking data on the Ukrainian military to Russia.
Clearview AI offers its services to Ukraine for free, despite privacy and discrimination-related concerns related to the use of facial recognition technology in conflict-affected areas.
Findings by social media researchers suggests that TikTok allowed a network of Russian accounts posting pro-invasion content to keep operating and that there was manipulation of the information ecosystem on the platform.
Human Rights Watch releases Q&A document examining the human rights responsibilities of social media and messaging services companies in crisis situations.
Human Rights Watch releases a Q&A document explaining the human rights responsibilities of technology companies in crises and calling on social media and messaging services companies to do more to meet their human rights responsibilities in Ukraine.
Technology companies have faced increasing pressure and intimidation in Russia to censor critical content or comply with demands. This includes an app designed to help Russians register protest votes against Putin being taken down after intimidation.
Since 24 February 2022, the international community has watched the crisis in Ukraine escalate into war. In the midst of this crisis, the tech sector finds itself as a player in the conflict, caught between government & regulatory demands to limit or restrict services & growing pressure from the public and civil society to take urgent action to prevent human rights harms. AccessNow offers some recommendations.
Facebook says it has cracked down on a hacking group known as "Ghostwriter" that has been increasing its efforts to target Ukrainian military officials and other platform users.
Google bars Russia's state-owned media outlet RT and other channels from receiving money for ads on their websites, apps and YouTube videos, similar to action by Facebook after the invasion of Ukraine.
Meta has rolled out additional privacy and security protections in Ukraine and also plans to add them in Russia in response to reports of targeting of civil society and protestors.
Civil society groups are increasingly concerned about the possibility of direct attacks on the Ukraine's internet infrastructure and negative implications for freedom of expression and access to information.
Access Now recommends that social media platforms and other technology firms make investments to prevent the spread of disinformation campaigns designed to escalate tensions in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and efrain from using misinformation as a justification to restrict access.
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