Abstain from utilizing dating applications, advises Russia to residents in its border region due to safety concerns.
The Russian interior ministry appealed to citizens residing in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions, as well as military personnel stationed in these areas, on Tuesday. They were advised to abstain from utilizing online dating platforms and be cautious while streaming videos from sensitive locations. The warnings were issued due to the adversary exploiting such resources for information collection.
The ministry shared a series of guidelines via its official Telegram channel, advising individuals not to click on any hyperlinks sent by unknown persons and to avoid streaming videos from areas where military vehicles were stationed.
Authorities also alerted citizens about Ukrainian forces connecting to "unsecured CCTV cameras" remotely, thereby gaining access to private property, roads, and strategically significant highways.
Military personnel and police officers were instructed to eliminate geo-tagging from their social media accounts, since the enemy monitors social networks in real-time using these tags, thus disclosing the precise location of military and security forces.
Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region has been taxing Russia's ability to defend its territories. Ukrainian military leader Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian troops have progressed up to 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) through Russian fortifications since the commencement of the sudden assault last week, capturing 93 settlements.
Approximately 121,000 residents of Kursk have been evacuated, as per Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, shared via Telegram on Monday.
Ukraine's operations extended to the Bryansk and Belgorod regions as well.
Apps expose confidential information
The concern over data privacy through social media usage is no mere speculation — instances of unintended disclosures of sensitive information by soldiers using their phones in conflict zones have occurred.
The US and its "Five Eyes" intelligence partners – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom – cautioned last year about Russian military hackers targeting Ukrainian soldiers' mobile devices with an aim to steal battlefield intelligence.
The tragic incident of a high-profile Russian submarine commander's death in 2023 was believed to have been orchestrated by an assassin tracing him through Strava, a popular fitness app. The commander, Stanislav Rzhitsky, used a public profile under his actual name to track his running and cycling routes, resulting in his unfortunate demise during one of his regular jogs.
Following a Ukrainian attack in occupied Ukrainian city of Makiivka on New Year's Day last year, which killed almost 100 Russian troops, Russia's defense ministry attributed the main cause to the rampant use of cell phones by Russian soldiers, albeit some officials challenged this assessment.
Last month, Russian state media TASS reported that the country's lower house of parliament suggested punishing Russian soldiers found using smartphones in Ukraine, by classifying such acts as a "major disciplinary offense" punishable by up to 10 days' imprisonment. Repetitive violations could result in up to 15 days in prison.
The law would also prohibit the use of electronic devices intended for "domestic purposes" that enable video and audio recording and the transmission of geolocation data.
Similarly, the US Department of Defense banned military personnel from utilizing geolocation features in 2018, after it was discovered that Strava and other fitness tracking apps could pose security risks for forces globally. The app generated an interactive heat map, revealing the locations of US bases in various countries around the world through 1 billion activity data points made public by users.
The Russian interior ministry urged citizens and military personnel to be cautious while using online platforms and streaming videos, as the adversary might use them to collect information. The world is closely watching the situation between Russia and Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces reportedly making significant gains in the Kursk region.
