On 13 October, the Security Service of Ukraine reported the arrest of a Kyiv resident who had photographed Ukrainian air defence positions and shared the images via a messaging app. According to the investigation, the woman passed the photographs on to the administrator of a local Telegram channel and to her acquaintances. The photographs were subsequently used by Russian propagandists to justify strikes on the Ukrainian capital. An SBU forensic analysis confirmed that national security had been compromised, and the detainee was served with a notice of suspicion. She faces up to eight years’ imprisonment.
- The SBU has detained a woman from Kyiv who photographed Ukrainian air defence positions.
- The woman took some photos through the windscreen of her car whilst driving through the city.
- She sent the photos to the administrator of the Telegram channel and to some friends.
- Russian propagandists used this footage to justify the attacks on Kyiv.
A woman from Kyiv took photos of air defence positions from her car
Cyber experts from the Security Service of Ukraine have exposed and detained another resident of the capital who had disseminated information about the locations of Ukrainian air defence units.
Pros. investigation materials, the suspect works for a cleaning company. Whilst driving through Kyiv, she noticed the positions of the Defence Forces and photographed them through the windscreen of her own car. Instead of keeping the information confidential, the woman sent the photographs to the administrator of a local Telegram channel and to her acquaintances. As a result, Information regarding the location of Ukrainian military personnel has become accessible to unauthorised persons.
Russian propaganda used photographs to justify the attacks
According to the SBU, shortly after the images were circulated, they were used by Russian propagandists. Photographs of Ukrainian air defence systems began to be circulated in the Russian information space as material to justify Russian strikes on Kyiv.
The Security Service initiated a relevant investigation. Its findings confirmed that the disclosure of classified information about the Defence Forces had harmed Ukraine’s national security. Law enforcement officers documented the circumstances surrounding the dissemination of the photographs and identified the person who took them.
A woman from Kyiv faces up to eight years in prison
Investigators SBU the detainee was informed that she was suspected of part 2 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This article establishes liability for the unauthorised dissemination of information regarding the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, such that they can be identified on the ground, committed whilst martial law is in force. The penalty provided for under this article is from five to eight years’ imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted under the procedural supervision of the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office. The final decision on the suspect’s guilt is to be made by the court.
This is the third such incident this week
The Security Service emphasised that this is the third person this week to have been caught disseminating classified information about the positions of the Defence Forces in the capital.
In particular, on 9 October, the SBU announced that it had placed an associate professor at one of the capital’s universities under suspicion for filming the locations of Ukrainian air defence systems and posting the video on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Earlier, on 7 October, law enforcement officers detained a Kyiv resident who had passed on a video recording of air defence positions to a blogger subject to sanctions.
In all these cases, the investigation is establishing the circumstances surrounding the dissemination of information that could reveal the location of Ukrainian defenders.
The SBU has urged Ukrainians not to publish images of air defence operations
The Security Service has once again warned that photographs and videos of military installations, air defence positions and the aftermath of strikes on critical infrastructure could be exploited by the Russian army. Material that could be used to pinpoint the location of military equipment or units is particularly dangerous.
Citizens are urged not to film or share footage of air defence operations, and to refrain from publishing information that could assist the enemy. Even photographs taken by accident may contain information that poses a threat to Ukrainian military personnel and the civilian population.
