This week, Russia’s parliament, the Duma, proposed a new law that prohibits infantrymen in a combat zone from using a phone that can record video, record audio, or use satellite navigation. Under the new law, any soldier who has a smartphone would be guilty of a serious disciplinary offense, punishable by up to 10 days in prison.
The law has sparked cries of outrage online from the front lines (possibly from infantrymen employing smartphones) because, while everyone acknowledges they can be dangerous, such devices are imperative to Russian forces. A total ban would likely backfire, but the Russian parliament may still have to hold it to prevent infantrymen from sharing videos of the real situation in Ukraine.
Consumer phones are fundamentally insecure devices that can be detected, tracked, and attacked by enemy forces using electronic warfare equipment.
In January 2023, Ukraine forced a Russian base in the occupied Donetsk region away from telephone traffic and attacked it with a missile, killing about a hundred soldiers.
There have been many other similar incidents. Swedish cybersecurity company ENEA has published a detailed report on telephone tracking on the battlefield in Ukraine. They note that this can take place on three other levels: physical tracking of the phone as a radio transmitter, tracking the network through the phone system, and tracking malicious software or other means.
“What was surprising was the greater use of these mobile phones, and advertising communications in general, by the armed forces,” says the report’s author, Cathal McDaid, generation director at ENEA. “If mobile devices are used, as is becoming increasingly common, then they should be used sparingly and with safeguards. “
ENEA recommends anyone calling into a fight zone not to bring a SIM card from outside the zone, but to get one locally from a trusted source. They will have to move at least 400 yards away from their position on the team to make a call. and bring a friend to watch their backs while they call. They will also have to assume that the enemy can heed their calls.
Both sides have made great efforts to find and analyze phone traffic and target phone users. So why allow infantry soldiers to have smartphones?
One answer is that a ban would have a very negative effect on morale, and would be completely effective anyway. Phones are an integral component of daily life. A recent article by the Kyiv Independent about a day in the life of a Ukrainian child inspector noted that “most people go out to sleep more when they have the chance, and when they are awake, they crawl under the net, drink coffee, and spend time on their phone.
Contact with family, in addition to being able to decompress by watching videos of kittens, is psychologically valuable. Interestingly, the smartphone game World of Tanks has a cult following among Ukrainian soldiers, to the point that its creators responded by launching a charitable initiative to help them.
Phones are widely used in prisons despite all efforts to keep them out, and a ban on their use in the military is unlikely to be more effective.
But there are other reasons why foot soldiers want phones. The trendy smartphone is a rugged and compact PC and communication device, with integrated satellite tracking that increases its capabilities.
A 2023 U. S. military report on use in Ukraine says that “smartphone use. . . transforms command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) on the battlefield.
The report cites apps such as Liveuamap, which uses resource insights to provide a real-time picture of the conflict, and an app developed by Russian infantrymen that triangulates the location of artillery fire from its sound. (Ukraine has implemented this on a larger scale with Sky Fortress, a set of thousands of static smartphones for tracking Russian drones. )
Smartphones can also be used as drones if a compromised unit is unavailable
A Russian soldier quoted via WarTranslated on They also move unclassified military documents. and maintain safe conversations on Telegram about tactics, as well as the acquisition of essential equipment.
According to the blogger, it turns out that the Russians use their smartphones due to the lack of other radio communications, including to adjust artillery fire and coordinate with neighboring units. Without smartphones, overall operations would be impossible.
“I wonder if the endless stupidity of the other military will ever end,” the blogger laments, suggesting that members of the Duma defense committee try commanding a unit without a smartphone and see how easily they can do it.
Since Russian infantrymen have had smartphones on the front lines for more than two years and they are so important, why ban them now?
It is conceivable that the Duma cares less about the protection of infantrymen than its own position. Easy communication with space is a damaging channel for Russians who need to find out what is happening in Ukraine without any influence from the state. media.
WarTranslated quotes a Russian army instructor as noting that the new law “can discern an absolutely sober and cynical calculation aimed at intentionally cutting off the flow of video recordings and calls discrediting army personnel. . . Because eradicating attacks is hard work, it’s indescribably easier to start a witch hunt against device owners.
The challenge for the Russians is that they not only have descriptions of mass casualties, devices and unsanitary situations of their foot soldiers in Ukraine, but also direct video calls to Putin, pleading not to send him to certain death.
Over time, this type of device can shake public confidence that the military’s special operation will continue as planned and that leaders are aware of the situation.
Russia has a choice between banning phones, which hinders the effectiveness of the fight, or allowing it to continue to cause inevitable damage to its propaganda. However, we’re more likely to see a ban leak that kills fight-related phones. their use still allows a stream of harmful videos to escape the internet.
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