Scott Morrison has condemned Vladimir Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned Russia and Vladimir Putin for waging war on Ukraine.
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Australia has denounced Russia’s “brutal, unprovoked and unacceptable” invasion of Ukraine as a flagrant breach of international law.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison emerged tonight after briefings from intelligence and security officials warning officials were working to monitor potential cyber security threats at home.
“About 2:00pm this afternoon, the Russian government declared that they had commenced a so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine,’’ he said.
“And they said this after months of aggression and intimidation. But I’ll call it what it is - the Russian government launched a brutal invasion, unprovoked, on Ukraine, and should be condemned for doing so - and Australia does.
“Together with the international community, we are banding together in strong terms to condemn these outrageous acts in the strongest possible terms.”
The Prime Minister said Australia was working to provide assistance to an estimated 1,400 Australians who are trapped in the country.
“My message to those Australians who continue to be in Ukraine is to - where safe to do so - leave,’’ he said.
“We have been saying this for some time now. Australians in Ukraine who are unable to leave should shelter in place until it is safe to depart, to monitor the Smartraveller travel advice for updates, and register their whereabouts on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s online portal. It’s important that they do this.
“We believe there are up to around an estimated 1,400 Australians in Ukraine. But that is not the number that we currently have registered formally through those processes.”
Australia’s ‘hit list’ grows as PM sanctions 25 more Putin-linked Russians
Mr Morrison warned sanctions against Russia would continue to ramp up.
“We are now moving to place restrictions on Australians investing in a further four financial institutions,’’ he said.
“There will be further waves of sanctions as we identify those responsible for these egregious acts, including - as I discussed this afternoon with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - moving on around over 300 members of the Russian Parliament.
“We must ensure there is a cost for this violent, unacceptable, and egregious behaviour. There must be a cost. It sends a very clear message. You sanction, support, benefit from this type of violence, then you will be isolated, you will be targeted, your assets will be frozen, you will not be able to go about your life freely - you will be tracked down and you will have your livelihoods completely disrupted in the same way that they are seeking to disrupt the lives of others.
Mr Morrison confirmed the sanctions will now be expanded to a “second phase” to target army commanders, deputy defence ministers and Russian mercenaries.
“Yesterday, I announced travel bans on eight members of Russia’s Security Council,’’ he said.
“They will come into effect at midnight this evening. I’ve also announced financial sanctions which mean Australian individuals and entities cannot do business with five Russian banks.
“We are now progressing in the second phase of those financial sanctions. The acting minister of financial affairs, Senator Birmingham, has completed the process of applying sanctions to an additional 25 persons. This includes army commanders, deputy defence ministers and Russian mercenaries who have been responsible for the unprovoked and unacceptable regression, and four entities involved in the development and sale of military technology and weapons.”
The Prime Minister confirmed Australia will not be providing direct military assistance.
“The latter is not something the Australian government has requested, working with our military partners in the region. We work closely with Nato and their member states. What we are doing is working with them in other ways, which I cannot go into a lot of detail about,’’ he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he has authorised a “military operation” in the Donbas region in Ukraine — a move seen by Ukraine and the west as the beginning of Russia’s invasion.
Explosions have been heard in as many as five cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, as well as the key Black Sea port city of Odessa.
Ukraine’s interior ministry has already declared “hundreds of casualties as a result of Russian missile attacks” around the country, according to CNN.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya condemned Russia for launching a military operation against his country warning the aggressors would go “straight to hell.”
In comments directed to the Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting, Kyslytsya said, “About 48 minutes ago, your president declared war on Ukraine.”
“There is no purgatory for war criminals,” Kyslytsya said to the Russian ambassador. “They go straight to hell”
Earlier, Russia hit back at Australia, accusing the Prime Minister of siding with “xenophobic bullies” in Ukraine.
In response to Australia’s strong support for sanctions, Russia has claimed Prime Minister Scott Morrison has turned a blind eye to discrimination by “the radical nationalistic regimen in Ukraine”.
“In alignment with its key partners, Canberra has played its part in supporting and encouraging the xenophobic bullies based in Kyiv” the Russian embassy in Australia said.
“Russia will from now on guarantee the right of (Donetsk and Luhansk) residents to live in peace and preserve their language and cultural identity.”
It comes as concern brews over Russian hackers potentially targeting Australia in a new wave of cyber attacks to retaliate over Scott Morrison’s “unwavering” support for Ukrainian sovereignty.
President Vladimir Putin’s “hybrid warfare” tactics have combined cyber-attacks with traditional military activity for years.
And while Russia is unlikely to respond in any direct way to Australia’s support for sanctions, companies and small business owners are now being urged to check their cyber security amid major cyber attacks overnight in Europe.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said today that Australia was “ready” for Russian cyber attack retaliation after a wave of attacks overnight after a state of emergency was declared by the Ukraine parliament.
“Cyber attacks are a real threat and they’re a present threat and that is the most likely response from Russia in terms of what we’ve done,’’ Mr Morrison told the Today Show.
“That’s why already for some time now we’ve been working, privately, with many of our big companies looking at our critical infrastructure to ensure that we can have them as best stepped up in their defences as you can.
“But in addition to that now we’re making those warnings very public. And so I’d be encouraging people to go to the Australian Signals Directorate website and making sure that everything from the smallest business, to the largest, you’re doing a good check on your cyber security.”
Overnight, Ukrainian government websites were subjected to a new wave of cyberattacks as the country declared a nationwide state of emergency.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has issued fresh warnings that denial of service attacks in the Ukraine could have global ramifications.
“There has been a historical pattern of cyber attacks against Ukraine that have had international consequences,” it said in a new alert.
“Malicious cyber activity could impact Australian organisations through unintended disruption or uncontained malicious cyber activities.”
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has previously confirmed the Australian Government joins the United States and the United Kingdom in publicly attributing the cyber attacks against the Ukrainian banking sector on 15 and 16 February 2022 to the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
“The international community must not tolerate Russia’s misuse of cyberspace to undermine Ukraine’s national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity by seeking to disrupt essential services, businesses and community confidence,’’ he said.
“The global community must be prepared to shine a light on malicious cyber activity and hold the actors responsible to account. All members of the international community – including Russia – should abide by existing international law and norms of responsible state behaviour which apply in cyberspace. Australia calls on all countries to honour and uphold their commitments.”
In the last week, Russia is suspected of sending disturbing messages designed to create mass panic including telling people in Ukraine that ATMs have stopped working.
Russia is also suspected of being involved in menacing messages sent to Ukrainian citizens in 2017.
“Ukrainian soldiers,” the messages warned, according to the AP, “they’ll find your bodies when the snow melts.”
The latest messages warn Ukrainians to leave the country and run for their lives.
“There is still time to save your life and leave the JFO zone,” the messages read, according to InformNapalm, a Ukrainian activist group, reported Focus, a Ukrainian news outlet.
“This is the old script that the Russians used — and that all militaries used. You’re always going to prepare the battlefield with some sort of propaganda efforts,” Hall told The Daily Beast. “Whether you’re dropping leaflets behind enemy lines … now it’s much easier these days you just go on the internet and send these leaflets in electronic format … you’re preparing the battlefield, you’re preparing the battlespace so that you soften resistance.”
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