President Biden on Monday confirmed that Russia launched a hypersonic missile in Ukraine over the weekend and said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s may launch cyberattacks against the US and use chemical weapons in Ukraine next because his “back is against the wall.”
Biden said Ukraine’s military is “wreaking havoc on the Russian military,” making Putin increasingly desperate in his nearly month-old invasion of Ukraine.
“The more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ,” Biden warned at a Business Roundtable event after the White House earlier in the day implored US companies to enhance cyberdefenses.
Biden verified the Russian government’s Saturday claim to have used a hypersonic rocket in Ukraine capable of moving at five times the speed of sound.
“They’ve just launched their hypersonic missile because it’s the only thing that they can get through with absolute certainty,” Biden said. “As you all know, it’s a consequential weapon but with the same warhead on it as any other launch missile. It doesn’t make that much difference except it’s almost impossible to stop it. There’s a reason they are using it.”
Chemical and cyber could be next on the Russian leader’s list, he warned.
“Whenever [Putin] starts talking about something he thinks that NATO, Ukraine or the United States is about to do, it means he’s getting ready to do it,” Biden added.
“He is asserting that we, America, have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe. Simply not true — I guarantee you. They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That’s a clear sign he’s considering using both of those.”
Biden also implored the corporate bigwigs to get ready for possible hacks by Russia to retaliate for harsh US sanctions and aid to Ukraine.
“One of the tools he’s most likely to use in my view, in our view, is cyber — cyber attacks. They have a very sophisticated cyber capability,” Biden continued.
“As they say in southern Delaware where they are very religious, ‘We’ve had an altar call,’ [Putin] and I, on this issue. We had a long conversation about… what would be the consequence,” Biden said. “But the point is that he has the capability and he hasn’t used it yet.”
The president also thanked the CEOs for “winding down your operations, without anybody requesting it” in Russia and defended his decision not to facilitate the transfer of Polish fighter jets to Ukraine.
“They have every piece of equipment that makes rational sense based on our military and NATO’s military, for them to be able to do what they’re doing. They’re wreaking havoc on the Russian military, whether it’s their tanks or their helicopters or their aircraft,” Biden said.
The lack of Russian cyberattacks against US targets surprised experts who were expecting them as Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. But the White House on Monday warned that may be about to change and urged companies to implement multifactor authentication and encryption of sensitive data, as well as to store backup data, update software to patch vulnerabilities and prepare emergency plans.
Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Monday that “several hundred companies” recently received classified briefings about apparent Russian preparations for cyberattacks. She did not identify the companies.
Concern about possible Russian use of chemical or biological weapons grew as Russian and Chinese officials alleged that the US government was involved in dangerous biological labs in Ukraine.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this month that the US is advising Ukraine on closing down “biological research facilities,” which she did not describe in detail.
“Ukraine has biological research facilities which in fact we are quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach,” Nuland said.
In several high-profile instances during Putin’s reign, Russian agents used poisons or radioactive material against dissidents and political rivals. The Moscow-backed Syrian government allegedly used chlorine, mustard and sarin gas against rebel-held areas in that country’s long-running civil war.
