Recent revelations of the damage inflicted on computer systems in 39 of the world’s countries-including the United States and Russia-by the spy virus “Red October” have generated a storm, as described in Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz’s analysis for the Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research (SFPPR).
The infection’s provenance cannot be determined at this point, nor can the exact scope and nature of its harvest. It is evident, however, that the virus provided the Kremlin a pretext to facilitate the reintegration of the post-Soviet sphere, which is Putin’s geostrategic goal, and to further crack down on freedom. After all, the successors of the KGB have been learning from their Chinese communist secret police counterparts about internet censorship. Thus, Dr. Chodakiewicz concludes, one should not discount “Red October” as an FSB provocation.
To read Dr. Chodakiewicz’s article, please visit the SFPPR website.