Audio emerges appearing to be of Ukrainian fighters defending island from Russian warship

The Department of Homeland Security has been designated as the lead federal agency managing the domestic response to the Russia-Ukraine crisis in the wake of warnings about potential cyberattacks on the US and ongoing disinformation campaigns. 

As part of the effort, DHS has set up a group to monitor Russian activity and coordinate among federal agencies, according to DHS.

The new group, to be led by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency executive director, Brandon Wales, will work across the federal government to prepare for and respond to potential threats to the US.

DHS has previously set up similar groups in moments of crisis. Last year, for example, DHS established a so-called Unified Coordination Group following the evacuation out of Afghanistan.

Among the current concerns held by homeland security officials is potential cyberattacks.

On Thursday: President Biden said the US is "prepared to respond," if Russia pursues cyberattacks against US companies or critical infrastructure. 

For months, the US has been working closely with the private sector to "harden our cyber defenses" and "sharpen our ability to respond to Russian cyberattacks," Biden said. 

In a PBS interview earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, though there is no information to suggest a specific, credible cyber threat against the US homeland, "it is our responsibility to be prepared."

"[W]e've been disseminating information, providing resources to the private sector for over two months now, once the prospect of a Russian attack against Ukraine materialized," he said, when pressed on whether sanctions could trigger a cyberattack. 

Last month: CNN reported that Russia would consider conducting a cyberattack on the US homeland if Moscow perceived that a US or NATO response to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine "threatened [Russia's] long-term national security," according to a DHS intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN.

The Russian conflict could also have an impact on the spread of misinformation and disinformation in the US.

DHS intelligence chief John Cohen said that escalated tensions between Russia and Ukraine have the potential to exacerbate the threat environment in the US, particularly as it relates to Russian disinformation campaigns and "Active Measure techniques," referring to long-standing political warfare methods used by Russia. 

Russia has maintained a "sustained level of activity" related to disinformation campaigns and influence operations in the US, according to Cohen, who spoke earlier this month at a George Washington University Program on Extremism event. 

Previously, Russia's influence operations focused primarily on promoting narratives associated with Covid-19, the 2020 election and issues relating to immigration and race in the US.

As tension with Ukraine spiked, DHS observed an increase in the Russian promotion of narratives trying to lay the blame for the Ukraine crisis "at the feet of the US," he said.