Several U.S. national security agencies have halted work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation, and cyberattacks, thus easing pressure on Moscow.
This is happening as the Trump Administration pushes Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Former President Joe Biden last year ordered his national security team to establish working groups to monitor the issue amid warnings from U.S. intelligence that Russia was escalating a shadow war against Western nations.
Shadow war is a form of armed conflict, conducted secretly in the nexus between war and peace where different actors use different means to obtain their goals.
Seven former officials who participated in the working groups told Reuters that the plan was led by the president’s National Security Council (NSC) and involved at least seven national security agencies working with European allies to disrupt plots targeting Europe and the United States.
Former U.S. officials said that before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, his incoming administration was briefed by Biden officials about the efforts and urged to continue monitoring Russia’s hybrid warfare campaign.
However, since Trump took office on Jan. 20 much of the work has come to a standstill, according to eleven current and former officials, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss classified matters. Reuters/NAN
