According to a Western intelligence report, Vladimir Putin has been called upon to delay any invasion of Ukraine until after the Winter Olympics. Beijing has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning China’s foreign policy have been made more than once. A Western official told the New York Times that the report did not specify whether it was Putin and Xi Jinping who discussed the issue or some of their officials. These new intelligence reports suggest that China has tried to attack a wide range of targets, including the border defense forces, the national bank and the railway authority. The SBU says China’s attacks could be distinguished from Russian ones by the tools and methods deployed by the People’s Liberation Army cyber warfare unit. Asked if the British intelligence services were aware of the alleged Chinese invasions, a government spokesman told the Times: “The National Cybersecurity Center is investigating these allegations with our international partners.” The GCHQ intervened to “harden” defense in Ukraine’s cyberspace in February, with senior military sources telling the Telegraph that both the United Kingdom and the United States were “helping to” harden Kiev’s resistance. Washington has sent secret teams of cyber experts to Ukraine to help strengthen its defenses, but officials have said they could not do much to secure its networks in just a few weeks. Now, President Xi is said to be “concerned” about Russia’s difficulties in Ukraine and how the war has brought the United States and Europe closer together, according to CIA Director William Burns.
