Nicoleta Sandu’s Post

Great Power Competition (#GPC) is topic that must be front and center of United States strategy. This is possibly more dangerous to America's and the West's way of life than the Cold War. Read #UnrestrictedWarfare, a Chinese People's Liberation Army (#PLA) book published in 1999 by two PLA colonels (Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui). They suggest that future conflicts will involve economic, financial, cyber, and psychological tactics, among others, to achieve strategic objectives. This involves the use of non-military tactics such as hacking, targeting financial institutions, terrorism, media manipulation, and urban warfare. Another enlightening book published in 1985 was titled "Information Warfare." The author is Shen Weiguang. He pioneered the information warfare concept in China and provided one of the earliest definitions focused on controlling information flows and systems to gain advantage over the adversary. We are seeing all of this thinking playing out via a holistic approach to national security that integrates military, economic, and informational strategies. Pay attention America.

🚨 Unmasking the Strategic Alliance - China's Role in Fueling Russia's Military 🚨 As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, the critical role of Chinese technology in supporting Russia's military operations cannot be overstated. Despite robust sanctions, China's complex and opaque supply chains make enforcement challenging. Our latest blog examines how Chinese components are crucial to Russia's defense capabilities, the limitations of current sanctions, and the urgent need for enhanced intelligence sharing and diplomatic pressure.   🔍 Key Highlights: Over $5.2 billion worth of dual-use goods imported from China to Russia in 2023. Evasion tactics and the role of Hong Kong-based shell companies. The top Chinese entities supplying critical tech to Russia. Diplomatic strategies to curb this dangerous alliance.   💡 Why It Matters: Understanding and disrupting this supply chain is crucial for weakening Russia's military efforts and protecting global security. The stakes are high, and coordinated international action is essential.   📖 Read the Full Blog Here: https://lnkd.in/eKfqgAHi   Join the conversation and share your thoughts on how we can tackle this critical issue!    #NationalSecurity #Sanctions #GEOINT #OSINT #DefenseTechnology #GlobalSecurity #IntelligenceSharing #UkraineWar

Ukrainian military experts have provided their American counterparts with evidence of Russia's use of Western electronic components in weapons deployed during attacks on civilian infrastructure, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. #Ukraine #Zelenskyy #Aerospace #Defence #Ukrainian #ukrainwar #amnestyinternational #UnitedNations #UN #NATO #Aerospaceindustry #Defenceindustry #drones #UAV #Electronicsindustry #Trump #USA #Biden #UKparliament #ukministers #houseoflords #Westminster #ministers #10downingstreet #Sanctions #Security #Borders #EU #Europe #Europeanunion #europeanleadership #Britain #Japan #SouthKorea #WorldLeaders #Governments #MOD #Electronics #Semiconductorindustry

Importantly, the issues highlighted in this hard-hitting analysis underscore the complexities and potential pitfalls in addressing the geopolitical dynamics between Russia, China, and the Western world, with significant implications for international stability and the principles of democracy.   #ChinaRussiaAlliance #MilitaryTech #GlobalSecurity #SanctionsEvasion #DualUseGoods #DiplomaticPressure #3GIMBALS

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Below is a fascinating article about China's newest sanctions on U.S. defense firms for sales of weapons, drones, and AI to Taiwan. The sanctions include such US companies as Ratheon, Teledyne, and Kratos UAV. Small drone companies Firestorm, Neros, and Havoc AI were also targeted by China. Such firms are now forbidden from transactions with China and will have their assets frozen in China. This is the latest retaliatory move by China in the evolving trade war between U.S. and China. And in DC, "China hawk" Peter Navarro is back as trade advisor in the new Trump administration. Stay tuned - more to come.. XieXie Douglas

"It's flying! We need to get out of here!" 🍿 #Ukraine drones strike russian factory producing glide bombs. "I think we need to get out of here," - reportedly, this is a video from Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia. This is the moment when a workshop where FAB bombs are assembled was attacked. 🎤 According to eyewitnesses, due to an air raid alert, the whole night shift was sent to a bunker and was not allowed to get out until lunch. On the second video, we see a spectator calmly explain "It's 20 October 2024..." but fails to mention this is the 969th day of Putin's 3-day military operation in Ukriaine...and russia is being bombed again. 📍 56°16'6.29"N, 43°22'43.93"E Some 800 km from the front line. The attack by Ukrainian #drones on the Sverdlov plant in the Russian city of Dzerzhynsk in Nizhniy Novgorod Region has been confirmed. The plant produces explosives, aircraft and artillery shells, aerial b0mbs, and warheads. 🇪🇺 The plant is on Ukraine's sanctions list "for supporting actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." - and on 23 June 2023, the plant was also included in the sanctions list of the European Union, and the plant is also under sanctions imposed by the USA, the UK, Japan and Switzerland. ❗ If you work for a b0mb factory during wartime, You're kind of asking for this to happen sooner or later. And yet, Ukraine sticks to the rules of war by only striking #Military targets like these weapons factories. Weapons which russia uses to b0mb homes, schools and hospitals. The two are not the same. #OSINT #Intelligence #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦

Last week, OFAC announced designations targeting the Iranian UAV program. These designations are the latest in the US government's effort to address Iran's development of its UAV program and provision of support to Russia. What does this mean? From an academic perspective, it will be interesting to see how OFAC (and the US government on a broader scale) will mix and match its tools to craft creative solutions. Almost one year ago (last June!), a quad-seal guidance was published on Iran's UAV-related activities and included a reference to the KleptoCapture Task Force. As the Russia-related sanctions programs continue to evolve, I think we will see more of these cross-program moves. From a business perspective, this is a reminder that companies should be carefully examining their sanctions compliance processes and procedures. This space is very active and a compliance program that is not able to adapt could result in under or over-compliance. #internationaltrade #sanctions #exportcontrols #IranSanctions #RussiaSanctions #UAVs

"Beijing has become a key supplier of industrial equipment for the Kremlin’s military needs after sanctions cut Russia off from the markets of the sanctions coalition countries," writes Denys Hutyk, Executive Director of the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, in his column. A critical component for producing Russian weapons—including Kalibr and Kinzhal missiles, drones, and armored vehicles—is CNC (computer numerical control) machines. According to the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, a communication partner of Truman, 80–90% of this equipment was imported to Russia from China in 2023–2024. How does Beijing help Moscow bypass sanctions, and what measures can stop the supply of CNC machines? Find out more in Denys Hutyk’s column on NV.ua: https://lnkd.in/e8Xu62HM

Uplifting sanctions/export controls and breaking anonymity A Canadian national and a New York resident pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to commit #exportcontrol violations for their roles in a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian companies. Some of the electronic components shipped by the defendants were later found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. According to the court documents the defendants allegedly conspired to ship more than $7 million in dual-use US electronics to sanctioned Russian companies, shipping the components through #frontcompanies in a number of countries, including Turkey, India, China and the United Arab Emirate from where they were subsequently rerouted to Russia. As this and other similar cases highlight, sanctioned parties and organized criminal networks are growing more sophisticated and increasingly aligned in their techniques every day. 🔦 Breaking anonymity and overcoming obfuscation remains critical The illicit usage of Shell/Front Companies, transactions and shipments to non-sanctioned countries and entities, the presence of underlying collusion etc. have all made risk management in this space increasingly difficult. This has put an unnecessary burden on frequently separate investigation and analyst teams within financial institutions to gather data and make the connections. However, by bringing together internal and external #KYC, #AML and #Sanctions data, intelligence and processes, Quantexa enables the comprehensive contextual monitoring of customers and counterparties throughout their entire lifecycle. This allows institutions to better identify and manage holistic risk, inclusive of sanctions and the presence of evasion techniques, including the illicit usage of shell companies, professional enablers and gatekeepers. To see how technology, combined with better data sources and focused typologies have changed the way institutions can break through the anonymity so essential for sanctions risk management, please reach out or take a look at the below. ➡ Breaking Anonymity Through AI: Sanctions, Shell Companies and Scandals (webinar on-demand) https://lnkd.in/ekZbvxDp ➡ Navigating Secondary Sanctions Risk: The Heightened Need to Mitigate Indirect Exposure (blog) https://lnkd.in/edJUtaMc   ➡ New FinCEN Advisory: Counter the Financing of Iran-Backed Terrorist Organizations (blog) https://lnkd.in/eEWhbhZp ➡ Navigating Global Sanctions: Technology Solutions for Asia-Pacific Compliance Challenges https://lnkd.in/e9APcbk5