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posted by martyb on Tuesday March 13 2018, @10:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the or-else? dept.

The UK says that a Soviet-developed Novichok nerve agent was used against Sergei Skripal, his daughter, and bystanders, and has given Russia "until midnight tonight" to explain how it came to be used:

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Tuesday that Russia has "until midnight tonight" to explain how a lethal Novichok nerve agent that was developed in Russia came to be used on U.K. soil. Johnson said Britain is preparing to take "commensurate but robust" action.

Reiterating British Prime Minister Theresa May's statement that it was "highly likely" Russia was to blame for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, Johnson said, "the use of this nerve agent would represent the first use of nerve agents on the continent of Europe since the Second World War."

Meanwhile, police are probing the death of a Russian exile living in London:

Nikolai Glushkov, a Russian exile who was a close friend of a noted critic of President Vladimir Putin, has died from an "unexplained" cause in London, police say. The Metropolitan Police says that its counter-terrorism unit is handling the case "because of associations that the man is believed to have had."

Glushkov, 68, was a close friend of former Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent critic of the Kremlin who was found dead in 2013. At the time, an inquiry found he had hanged himself — but Glushkov publicly disputed the idea that his friend and former business ally would have killed himself.

As British media began reporting Glushkov's death, the police issued a statement saying, "An investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough."

Previously: Former Russian Spy Exposed to "Unknown Substance" in Salisbury, England
Use of Nerve Agent Confirmed in Skripal Assassination Attempt


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  • (Score: 2, Touché) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @02:49AM (6 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @02:49AM (#652130) Journal

    Can Russia actually "beat" the UK considering the UK has 100+ submarine-launched nuclear missiles?

    Hey, ho! Really?

    UK has exactly 4 ballistic missile submarines, each one can carry up to 16 Trident II D5 Missiles [wikipedia.org] - 4 x 16 = 64 missiles

    As of Dec 2016, those submarines are still running on Windows XP [mspoweruser.com] - i.e. the security of the control software depends on those who serve on board of those submarines: how loyal they are and how well they are paid.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by PiMuNu on Wednesday March 14 2018, @12:02PM (3 children)

    by PiMuNu (3823) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @12:02PM (#652300)

    > the security of the control software

    C'mon, that's not just air gapped, that's a fricking km of water gapped

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @12:07PM (2 children)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @12:07PM (#652302) Journal

      From an internal Eve? I doubt it.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @04:22PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @04:22PM (#652465)

        I don't see how a better OS would hinder someone who's fine with their country getting nuked from, say, cutting the wires.

        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @04:29PM

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @04:29PM (#652470) Journal

          Right, I forgot about the generalized $5-wrench attack.

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday March 14 2018, @03:43PM

    by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @03:43PM (#652439)

    The four Vanguard class boats are responsible for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent, and use the Trident missile system. Each boat can carry up to 16 Trident II D5 Missiles, each of which may carry up to 12 nuclear warheads. As of 2015, it is UK Government policy to limit the actual number of warheads carried to 40 per boat and 8 Trident Missiles.[33] There has been at least one SSBN on patrol at all times since April 1969.[34]

    If they had said "100+ warheads" they would've been accurate. MIRVs don'tchaknow.

    --
    "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @04:18AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @04:18AM (#652774)

    Those four subs work on rotation so not all are active at same time