Russia

• U.S. officials believe Russia is preparing to annex Ukrainian territory it controls in much the same way it annexed Crimea in 2014: by installing proxy governments, making the ruble the default currency, and forcing residents to apply for Russian citizenship. Such a move would violate Ukrainian sovereignty and irk the West – hopefully more than the annexation of Crimea did.
• Pres. Putin stoked uncertainty over whether Gazprom will resume Nord Stream 1 gas supplies tomorrow: he told reporters it would, but at a drastically reduced trickle that could be just as bad as cutting off supplies entirely. Putin directly linked his threat to choke gas supply to Western sanctions: he said if sanctions prevent pipeline maintenance, gas flows could dwindle.
• During their meeting in Tehran, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, enthusiastically endorsed Pres. Putin’s war in Ukraine: “In the case of Ukraine, if you [Putin] had not taken the helm, the other side would have done so and initiated a war.” (Analysts would disagree that Ukraine would’ve initiated a war against a much larger and better equipped adversary).

China

• Chinese regulators are planning to fine ride-hailing company Didi $1 billion – or around 5% of annual revenue – for data breaches. Didi stirred trouble by listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 after being warned not to, and regulators have had the company in their crosshairs since then. Investors see government meddling like this as a major risk to exposure to China.

North Korea

• The U.S. Justice Department disrupted a North Korean state-sponsored hack of U.S. hospitals and seized around $500,000 in ransom payments that it plans to return to victims. The operation was part of DOJ’s effort to take a more proactive approach and halt cyberattacks early – before they’ve inflicted full damage.

Mozambique

• There were reports of an attack near a Gemfields ruby mine in Cabo Delgado, where Islamic State-linked armed groups have been disrupting energy and mining projects since 2017. A large number of people were reported killed, but details are still murky.