ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - January 17, 2025

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - January 17, 2025

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

• ZeroFox Intelligence Brief: Russian Hybrid War Tactics Against Western Europe
• Iraq and UK Sign Bilateral Trade, Defense Agreements
• Treasury Sanctions Leader of Sudanese Armed Forces and Weapons Supplier

ZeroFox Intelligence Brief: Russian Hybrid War Tactics Against Western Europe

With Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s accusation that Russia had planned terrorist attacks across the global aviation sector, there has been renewed focus on the global impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, this is just one part of Russia’s aggressive hybrid warfare strategy using tactics like disinformation, the weaponization of energy resources, sabotage, and cyber campaigns to limit the effectiveness of military aid to Ukraine. In 2024, there was a notable increase in other types of hybrid warfare, including a surge in acts of sabotage against critical infrastructure. This expansive use of hybrid measures is unlikely to slow down even if there is a positive settlement to the war in Ukraine. Europe remains deeply divided on how to address a variety of issues, including improving European Union (EU) economic competitiveness and increasing defense spending; it is in Russia’s interests to worsen these divisions because European states likely lack the unity to properly counter Russia’s hybrid measures. Russia is very likely to expand the use of such tactics in the coming year.

Iraq and UK Sign Bilateral Trade, Defense Agreements

Iraq and the United Kingdom signed a trade deal and a bilateral defense agreement after a meeting between the countries’ premiers in London. The trade deal, worth around USD 15 billion, is expected to increase bilateral commerce by a factor of 10 and includes plans for electrical grid interconnections between Iraq and Saudi Arabia using British-made power connection systems. The United Kingdom will also help provide clean water in arid parts of Iraq. Few details of the defense agreement were announced. Iraq is likely looking to attract security cooperation with partners ahead of the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition’s planned pullout in 2026. More bilateral defense agreements with coalition members are possible in the coming months.

Treasury Sanctions Leader of Sudanese Armed Forces and Weapons Supplier

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Additionally, OFAC is sanctioning one company and one more individual involved in weapons procurement on behalf of the Defense Industries System (DIS), a procurement arm of the SAF that OFAC sanctioned in June 2023. SAF has committed lethal attacks on civilians, including airstrikes against protected infrastructure including schools, markets, and hospitals. The SAF is also believed to be responsible for the routine and intentional denial of humanitarian access, using food deprivation as a war tactic. The SAF’s egregious war tactics are held primarily responsible for one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, where famine has been declared in five regions of Sudan.