The US Department of Defense has denied media reports that the head of the department, Pete Hegseth, has ordered the cessation of offensive cyber operations against russia.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing a senior representative of the defense department.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Hegseth did not cancel or postpone any cyber operations directed against malicious russian targets, and there was no order to abandon this priority.
The denial came after The Record, a publication specializing in cybersecurity issues, reported that Hegseth ordered the US Cyber Command to abandon all plans against russia, including offensive digital actions. The Washington Post and the New York Times followed this story, adding their own confirmations from unnamed officials.
The suspension announcement drew angry reactions from Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said the Trump administration was giving “a free pass as russia continues to conduct cyber operations and ransom attacks on critical American infrastructure.”
The suspension announcements were said to have come before Trump and Zelenskyy openly sparred in the Oval Office on Friday.
When asked about the earlier announcements of the suspensions, the Pentagon declined to comment but said that Hegseth had no higher priority than the safety of American troops.
U.S. Cyber Command oversees 135 “cyber mission force” commands, or “this is the combat arm,” as the command’s website describes it. The units involved in offensive operations are cyber combat mission teams.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, US President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of military aid to Ukraine after his public altercation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which took place in the Oval Office of the White House on February 28.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain and France would work with Ukraine on a peace plan and that the United States would present it.
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