ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 21, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 21, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• China Establishes Territorial Points in Gulf of Tonkin Sparking Territorial Concerns
• Russian Bomber Air Base Targeted in Ukranian Drone Attack
• Putin Urges FSB to Help Russian Companies Evade Western Sanctions

China Establishes Territorial Points in Gulf of Tonkin Sparking Territorial Concerns

China announced a set of base points along its southern coast to define its territorial waters and sovereignty over the seabed and subsoil in the Gulf of Tonkin, known as the Beibu Gulf in China. China's claims go beyond the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which measures China's southern maritime zone from its low-water line along the coast. However, China is defining its territory up to 12 nautical miles from the seven points, covering a far bigger area. China’s new baseline sparked criticism from Vietnam, which has competing claims in the same region. Vietnam rejected the new Chinese baseline and requested that China respect international law and bilateral agreements. China’s move indicates its efforts to secure important waterways to better serve the economic development of the provinces and regions along the Beibu Gulf, such as Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan, as well as further strengthening maritime power to counter the Philippines and its allies, such as the United States.

Russian Bomber Air Base Targeted in Ukranian Drone Attack

Ukrainian drones controlled by the GUR military intelligence agency hit the Engels air base deep inside Russian territory on Wednesday, according to a Ukranian intelligence source. The source added that Ukraine was assessing the damage from the drone attack. The governor of Saratov, the region where the base is, stated that the drones had been taken down near Engels, but there was no damage reported. The targeted air base is the main home to Russia’s long-range strategic bomber fleet.

Putin Urges FSB to Help Russian Companies Evade Western Sanctions

In a recent speech to the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the agency to help Russian companies evade Western sanctions and expand Russian access to new markets. Russia's intelligence services have long worked to promote Russian companies abroad and establish international financial channels for Russia's elite in a practice that dates back to the Soviet Union. The FSB is likely already engaged in operations to prop up Russia's economy; however, Putin's public speech announcing this goal likely indicates Russian intelligence will significantly expand these efforts.