Headline Roundup • March 3rd, 2025
Hegseth Reportedly Ordered a Stop to Cyberattacks on Russia; Some Sources Deny Report
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. Cyber Command to halt cyberattacks against Russia, according to a report from The Record.
The Details: Hegseth reportedly issued the orders to Cyber Command chief Gen. Timothy Haugh. Haugh also leads the National Security Agency (NSA), but these orders do not apply to the NSA, as Cyber Command operates under the Department of Defense, and the NSA is an intelligence agency. An anonymous official speaking to Bloomberg (Lean Left bias) denied that Hegseth had canceled or delayed any operations.
For Context: The report followed President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance’s tense Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky on Friday. In recent weeks, Trump’s administration has paid increased attention to ending the conflict in Ukraine. Critics have accused Trump of cozying up to Russia.
How The Media Covered It: The news was first reported by The Record (not rated by AllSides) on February 28. The outlet reported speaking to “three people familiar with the matter.” CNN (Lean Left bias) and The New York Times (Lean Left) both reported the news on March 2, citing their own anonymous sources. Overnight on March 2, the story began to be picked up by other large mainstream outlets. As of early March 3, it was covered mostly by outlets from the left. Updated 3/4/25 with Bloomberg's report.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Doug Mills/The New York Times
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive operations against Russia, according to a current official and two former officials briefed on the secret instructions. The move is apparently part of a broader effort to draw President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia into talks on Ukraine and a new relationship with the United States.
Mr. Hegseth’s instructions, part of a larger re-evaluation of all operations against Russia, have not been publicly explained. But they were issued before President Trump’s public blowup in the Oval Office with President Volodymyr...
The Trump administration has ordered the United States to end offensive cyber operations targeting Russia, part of an effort to draw Russian President Vladimir Putin into talks on ending the war in Ukraine, sources said Sunday.
It's not clear how long the orders will be in effect, but are expected to last for the foreseeable future, according to reporting by The Record.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military to cease conducting cyberattacks against Russia, according to reports from the Pentagon. Although the details of the instructions have not been made known, according to the New York Times they were issued prior to the heated argument between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday.
The order to halt cyberattacks is likely part of the administration’s broader goal to defuse American tensions with the Russian Federation and engage President Vladimir Putin in talks to end the war in Ukraine....
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