PORTLAND, Maine — A lot of information was covered in a tight window during a virtual news conference Thursday with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who fielded questions from reporters across the state.
King, who sits on the U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence, discussed several topics related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“I think right now, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is the most dangerous single individual in world history," King said.
King recently wrapped up his work as the co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. Made up of bipartisan lawmakers, executive branch officials, and experts from the private sector, the commission spent two years evaluating all aspects of cyberspace.
A major focus of that work was on cybersecurity and the risk of cyberattacks. After Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the likely threat of attacks has increased locally and globally.
King said Russia hacked into and shut down a section of Ukraine's power grid in 2015, so the country knows it is capable of conducting large-scale hacks there. The senator also said Russia has hacked into Ukrainian banks and several government agencies but admitted he was surprised to see the hacks weren't as widespread.
When asked by a reporter with Spectrum News Maine whether he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack the United States with cyberattacks, King said he believes Putin, at this moment, would not want to escalate tensions with the U.S.
King cited President Joe Biden's meeting with Putin on the issue of cybersecurity, during which Biden told Putin the U.S. would respond if there was ever an attack on American civilian cyberinfrastructure.
Despite that, King said there are plenty of reasons not to feel overly confident about our cyberdefense.
“The electric grid is in pretty decent shape, though not invulnerable," King said.
"The water systems, on the other hand, I’m very worried about. Pipeline systems I’m very worried about because we’re playing catchup there, in terms of cybersecurity," he added.
The vast majority of cyberattacks hit in the private sector, King said. They start at the "desktop."
King emphasized that it's important for every Mainer and every American to be on alert and be cautious when opening emails or links sent from an anonymous phone number.
Another way to prevent hackers from gaining access to private information is by shutting off your phone every few days which, King said, can slow down a hacking attempt.
King also said Putin miscalculated the response from the Ukrainian people, the United States, and the western world after Russia invaded.
“[Putin] spent a lot of time trying to divide us in this country and to divide us from NATO. That’s utterly failed," King said. "NATO has never been more unified. I was with a military official over the past few days who’s worked with NATO for years, he said this is the most unified NATO has been in the last 30 years.”
It's tough to get a mental read on Russia's president, King added. That information has not been available during his intelligence meetings, but the senator said Putin will continue his military advancements in Ukraine.
The overarching question asked not just in Thursday's news conference but around the world at this moment was this: What's next in Ukraine?
“[Putin] can react in one way or the other. He can either be so angry and frustrated he lashes out, and that’s what I’m afraid he’s going to do in terms of attacking civilians in Ukraine or a cyberattack here; or he may be rational and looking for an off-ramp," King said. "We won’t know that for several weeks."
Even if Russia is successful in overtaking Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv and the country as a whole, King said it would be a tall task for Putin to maintain control over Ukraine.
"In short, I think Putin already lost this war. He may win the battle over the next several weeks," King said. "But in the long run, unless he wants to put a Russian soldier on every street corner in Ukraine, they're going to have an awfully hard time holding this country."