U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed U.S. Cyber Command to halt all planning against Russia, including offensive cyber operations, according to a report by The Record.

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Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on his expected nomination to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

The decision does not affect the National Security Agency’s intelligence-gathering efforts but represents a significant shift in U.S. policy, which has long considered Russia a major cybersecurity threat.

The move reverses a decade of cyber strategies aimed at countering Russian cyber activities, including past allegations of election interference and cyberattacks.

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The change in policy has drawn criticism from political figures, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton shared a Gizmodo article on the report and responded with sarcasm, stating, “Wouldn’t want to hurt Putin’s feelings.”

Hegseth responded by posting an image of Clinton’s 2009 “reset” button moment with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The event, which took place in Geneva on March 6, was meant to symbolize a new diplomatic beginning between the U.S. and Russia under the Obama administration.

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However, the button given to Lavrov mistakenly translated the word “reset” (перезагрузка, perezagruzka) as “overload” (перегрузка, peregruzka).

The mistranslation and the button’s resemblance to an industrial emergency-stop switch became a widely discussed diplomatic misstep.

Despite the error, Clinton and Lavrov pressed the button together during the public event.

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The policy shift under Hegseth follows broader changes in the U.S. government’s approach to foreign cyber threats and international relations.

While previous administrations have taken a more confrontational stance against Russian cyber activities, this directive signals a different approach.

As the discussion over U.S.-Russia relations continues, the move to end offensive cyber operations against Russia is expected to remain a point of contention among political leaders and cybersecurity officials.

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