Tuesday, 20 October 2026

US and Ukraine clash over Patriot delivery and intelligence sharing

Relations between Washington and Kyiv have worsened since yesterday's sanctions story. Zelensky accuses the US of delaying a Patriot missile shipment and has spoken with Secretary of State Rubio about it, with talks in Oslo mentioned. A Zelensky adviser told the BBC that Ukrainians are dying because the US restricts intelligence sharing. Al Jazeera reports a clash between Trump and Zelensky over talks and arms. These are Ukrainian claims; the US response is not in the headlines. The practical relevance for companies is indirect but real. Weaker air defence and thinner intelligence support raise the chance of heavier strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy sites, and of more pressure on neighbouring states. Organisations with staff, contractors or assets in Ukraine or on its borders should check evacuation triggers, confirm duty-of-care contact lists, and brief travellers on shelter procedures. Treat US policy as a planning variable that can shift within days, and set review points for exposed operations.

Our advisory and intelligence team turns shifts in the Ukraine war into concrete exposure assessments for companies with staff or assets in the region.

Drone attacks kill 160 in Sudan, reaching relatively safe Khartoum

NOS reports 160 deaths from drone attacks in Sudan, including in Khartoum, which had been seen as relatively safe. The Guardian separately reports that a drone attack near a market in Al Dibab, West Kordofan, killed 80 people. The headlines do not say whether the two figures overlap. The common thread is that drones are now reaching places and crowded civilian spaces that were previously treated as lower risk. For organisations with staff, contractors or logistics in Sudan or the wider region, assumptions about safe cities no longer hold on the evidence available. Humanitarian operators, extractive firms and shipping or aviation companies should reassess which locations count as relatively safe, test shelter and communication plans, and confirm medical evacuation arrangements. Travel approvals for Sudan should be reviewed case by case, with clear triggers for withdrawal. Verify casualty figures with additional sources before using them in board or insurer communications, since early tolls in drone incidents often change.

ConnectWise suspends Cloud Backup after supply chain attack

ConnectWise has suspended its Cloud Backup service after a supply chain attack, according to The Record. Dark Reading reports the backups were disabled amid concerns for downstream managed service providers. The headlines give no detail on scope, data affected or restoration date. The risk sits one step removed from most customers: MSPs hold privileged access to many client networks, and backups are the last defence when ransomware lands. A compromise at this layer can reach organisations that never dealt with the vendor directly. Ask your IT provider today whether it uses ConnectWise Cloud Backup and what the exposure is. Confirm that you hold a separate, offline or immutable backup copy and that a restore has been tested recently. Review which MSP accounts have administrative access to your systems, apply multi-factor authentication, and be ready to rotate credentials when the vendor publishes guidance. Log the incident in your supplier-risk register.

Our cyber security team can test the resilience of your backups and review the access your IT providers hold.

France imposes partial curfews in Paris and Nice as unrest escalates

Since yesterday's report on looting arrests, French authorities have imposed partial curfews in Paris and Nice, according to DW. BBC, citing French media, reports a suspect arrested after a historic town hall was set alight. NOS describes empty streets under curfew with a heavy police presence. Euronews says Macron is increasingly isolated, and BBC and NL Times report that Vinted is blocking looters who list stolen goods. The move from looting to curfews and arson against a public building signals a more serious phase of unrest. Retailers, logistics firms and hospitality operators in affected cities face closures, theft and staff access problems after dark. Check which of your sites fall inside curfew zones, adjust shift patterns so staff travel home before restrictions start, and confirm insurance conditions for civil disorder. Add temporary guarding or patrol coverage at exposed premises, and brief travellers to France on curfew compliance and areas to avoid.

Our manned guarding teams can add temporary site protection at premises exposed to civil disorder.

Defence contractors in two NATO allies hacked in Russia-linked campaign

The Record reports that defence contractors in two NATO allies were hacked in a recent Russia-linked campaign. The headline does not name the countries, the companies or the data taken, and attribution rests on a single report. Even so, it fits a pattern in which defence suppliers, as well as ministries, are targets for espionage because they hold design data, delivery schedules and contacts. Smaller subcontractors are often the softer entry point into larger programmes. Companies in the defence supply chain, and firms that share networks or staff with them, should assume that spear-phishing and credential theft are active. Review remote access and privileged accounts, check logs for unusual logins from the past weeks, and segment systems holding programme data. Brief staff on unsolicited approaches via email and professional networks, and agree how suspected compromise is reported to your national cyber authority and to customers.

Ahold Delhaize confirms 'malicious actions' behind grocery outages

Ahold Delhaize has confirmed that 'malicious actions' lie behind cyber outages affecting its grocery brands, according to The Record. The headline gives no detail on which brands, which systems, or whether customer data was taken. Supermarket operations depend on tightly linked systems for ordering, stock, payments and delivery, so an attack can disrupt shelves and checkouts quickly. It also reaches suppliers, whose order flows and invoicing may stall. Food retail is a repeat target because downtime is costly and visible. Suppliers and service providers to Ahold Delhaize brands should check for disruptions in order and delivery integrations, treat unexpected emails that appear to come from the retailer with suspicion, and confirm manual fallback processes. Other retailers and wholesalers should review how a shutdown of core systems would affect stores, and whether manual operating procedures have been rehearsed. Prepare holding statements for customers in case outages continue.

Two held for public violence and fireworks as Amsterdam unrest continues

NL Times reports that two people were held for public violence and throwing fireworks as unrest continues in an Amsterdam neighbourhood. The headline does not name the area or the cause, and it is the only report in this set. Repeated nights of disorder matter to nearby businesses and residents even when arrest numbers are small: fireworks thrown at police or property can escalate, draw crowds and disrupt emergency access. Organisations with premises, staff or deliveries in the area should speak with local police and the municipality about the current picture, and adjust late-day access routes. Review the protection of glazing, bins and vehicles against fireworks and fire, and check that CCTV coverage and lighting at entrances work. Give staff clear guidance on avoiding the area after dark, and decide in advance who can authorise early closing if tension rises. Nearby retailers should also agree a direct contact route to the duty officer.

Our alarm and mobile response service can provide rapid patrols and verification at premises near ongoing disorder.

Court rules ING may not stop offering banking services to Gazprom

A Dutch court has ruled that ING may not stop offering banking services to Gazprom, NL Times reports. The headline gives no reasoning, so it is unclear how the court weighed sanctions rules, contract terms and banking duties. The ruling matters because banks and other providers that end Russia-linked relationships for risk reasons may now be challenged in court. One ruling reported by one outlet does not settle the question, and the same trade-off faces insurers, carriers and suppliers. Companies that have ended or are considering ending relationships with sanctioned or high-risk counterparties should document the legal basis, check termination clauses and take legal advice before acting. Align legal, compliance and commercial teams on one decision path so that terminations are consistent. Compliance functions should record sanctions screening outcomes, keep an audit trail of decisions, and follow any appeal or published reasoning that may set expectations for other sectors.