We were talking the other day about the war that started with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, and it seems to be escalating, not accelerating. While NATO is building the continent’s largest air base in Romania, Ukraine has launched its own attack on Russian territory. What about Russia? This has led to her increasing her security to the point of not using dating apps.

Measurement. The Russian Interior Ministry is apparently trying to crack down on the use of dating apps, especially in regions affected by the latest and surprising Ukrainian offensive by the Kremlin. “The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. According to information reported in Russian media, the Interior Ministry told citizens of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk that “the enemy is actively using them to collect information.”

The truth is that the most popular Western dating applications, such as Tinder, Bumble or Badoo, have left the Russian market since the start of their large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, although they can be used, that is, from inside Russia. use of applications and networks there.

A precaution against Ukrainian aggression. As we said at the beginning, Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border operation on Kursk on August 7, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced days later that Kiev now controls more than 1,250 square kilometers of Russian territory. This particular military operation, targeting the Kursk and Belgorod regions, led Russia to declare a state of emergency in neighboring Bryansk.

Streaming is prohibited. In addition, the ministry issued recommendations to military personnel and law enforcement officers, including not to open hyperlinks to messages received from strangers and, of course, not to stream or upload video on roads where military vehicles are located.

Authorities also warned citizens that Ukrainian forces were “monitoring everything from private gardens to strategically important roads and highways by remotely connecting to unprotected CCTV cameras.”

Known risk. In the military environment, the risks of broadcasting or “transporting” critical information onto the network are well-known. The US, as well as countries such as Australia and the UK, warned last year that Russian military hackers were targeting the mobile devices of Ukrainian soldiers in an attempt to steal battlefield information.

In other news, a high-profile Russian submarine commander was shot dead in 2023. Media later reported that he may have been the target of an attacker who was tracking him on Strava, a popular running app. Officer Stanislav Rzhitsky apparently used a public profile under his own name to track running and cycling routes. The man was killed while running on one of his regular tours.

The Makiivka case. Another fact that did not escape the attention of Russian intelligence occurred after the attack that killed nearly 100 Russian soldiers in the occupied Ukrainian city of Makiivka on New Year’s Eve last year. At the time, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the “main reason” for the attack was the widespread use of phones by Russian soldiers, but some officials disputed this claim.

Penalty for using a mobile phone The situation on Russian soil is such that in July, it was reported that the country’s lower house of parliament proposed punishing Russian soldiers caught using phones while fighting in Ukraine. The lawmakers suggested that carrying phones with internet connections that could help locate Russian troops or forces should be classified as a “serious disciplinary offense” and punishable by up to 10 days in prison.

Such a bill would also ban the use of other electronic devices for “domestic purposes” that enable video and audio recording and/or the transmission of geolocation data.

Image | Bohan_伯韩 Shen_沈, Johnny Silvercloud

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