Ukrainian-Russian War: Could Cell Phones Reveal Russia’s Location in Makiivka?
photo credit, Reuters
The building housing conscripts was almost destroyed during the Ukrainian attack.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said cell phones used by its own troops allowed Ukraine to demolish a building, killing dozens of conscripts in the eastern city of Makiivka.
“This factor allows the enemy to find and determine army coordinates for missile launches,” he said in a statement.
Ukraine claims around 400 Russian servicemen were killed in the New Year’s Day attack. Russian authorities have reported 89 people killed.
Could it be that the cell phones have found soldiers?
Since the start of the war, the Western media has widely reported on the ability of both sides to intercept and geolocate telephone calls for targeting purposes.
In March last year, weeks after the invasion began, The New York Times quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Ukraine was able to intercept a Russian general’s call, geolocate and kill him and his staff.
Also in March, a Sky News report highlighted Russia’s Leer-3 system, which flies drones over a target area capable of mimicking cell phone reception masts and tricking cell phones into communicating with them.
The drone can then relay this information to a base station in the nearest safe area, from where the phone can then be located.
But while both sides are widely believed to have the ability to track cell phones, some commentators expressed doubts about Makiivka’s explanation for the attack.
The BBC’s Russia service has previously spoken to recently mobilized conscripts, who said their phones were confiscated on arrival at their unit.
But at the same time, there have also been reports of Russians sticking to front phones due to a lack of other equipment. This could explain why some conscripts were able to keep theirs.
Analysis by Defense Correspondent Jonathan Beale
Russian authorities seem to accuse their soldiers of using cell phones. But if this is true, one wonders why the discipline was so lax?
Most soldiers stress the importance of operational security and personal safety during operations, including limiting the use of cell phones.
There seems to be another failure. A high concentration of troops in a single building, where ammunition is also stored, would be an obvious target.
Movement and lifestyle can be observed by satellite or drone. If long-range rockets like the Himar are helping Ukraine, it’s the intelligence behind the attacks that makes the real difference.
The Makiivka attack shows that Russia is still struggling to learn from past mistakes. This is not the first time Ukraine has targeted military barracks.
But one thing has changed. Justin Crump, director of security consultancy Sibyline, said criticism in Russia showed a lack of tolerance for such incompetence.
However, rather than focusing on the victims, many critics in Russia see it as justification for escalation.
What was destroyed in the attack?
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine attacked a makeshift military base in Makiivka.
A video showing the aftermath of the attack shows a building completely destroyed by the attack. Commenters on social media were quick to identify it as the No.19 vocational school.
While researching this name online, we came across a photo which we compared to satellite imagery of the buildings at the attack site (before their demolition) for a match.
There is no evidence that large quantities of ammunition were stored in the building.
But in a tweet, the UK Ministry of Defense said this scenario was possible “given the level of damage” at the site.
US missiles used, Russia says
Russian authorities said the Himars missile system, supplied to Ukraine by the United States, was used in the attack.
Shortly after the attack, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense published a tweet showing the missile launch, with the only text: “Surprise”.
Himars – the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System – is a five-tonne truck-mounted missile launcher that can fire six guided missiles in rapid succession.
The missiles supplied to Ukraine have a range of up to 80 km, more than double the range of the howitzers the United States previously provided to Ukraine.
The United States has pledged to supply Ukraine with 38 of these systems, and it is reported that 20 have been delivered since the start of the conflict.
