Russia’s lower house of parliament has proposed punishing Russian soldiers caught using smartphones while fighting in Ukraine , state media TASS reported, amid growing concerns that electronic devices can reveal troops’ location on the battlefield. According to a draft law supported by the State Duma Committee on Defense, carrying internet-connected cell phones whose data can identify Russian troops or the location of forces will be classified as a “gross disciplinary offense” punishable by up to 10 days of arrest. Multiple offenses could lead to up to 15 days of arrest.
The law would also prohibit the use of other electronic devices meant for “household purposes” which allow for video and audio recording and the transmission of geolocation data. Both Russian and Ukrainian militaries have reportedly used enemy cell phones to identify targets during the war, scraping data from photos and messages to track coordinates and launch attacks. The United States and its “Five Eyes” intelligence allies – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom – warned last year that Russian military hackers had been targeting Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices in a bid to steal sensitive battlefield information.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) also assessed that Russian hackers had sought to infiltrate the Android tablets used by the Ukrainian military for “planning and performing combat missions,” using code designed to steal data sent from the devices to El.