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Europe
WAR TOURIST FAIL: British volunteer fighters may have triggered deadly strike on Ukrainian base after their phones were detected
2022-03-20
[Telegraph] The Telegraph has learned that 12 to 14 phone numbers starting with +44 were visible to surveillance equipment before the missile strike.
The rest of the article is paywalled.
Posted by:Grish Clomock2324

#11  Ukraine and Russia have been zapping each other for some 8 years because soldiers using their cell phone. Ukrainian story, finally someone noticed the caught a heavy, accurate artillery barrage right after someone used a cell.

And a camp full of Tiktokers? Russians probably thought it was a trick.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-03-20 17:50  

#10  ^ Which is why I always carry mine in a Faraday Cage in a fake hump on my back.
Posted by: Frank G   2022-03-20 17:31  

#9  Regardless of how many SIMs you swap, cell phones pass a lot of device identity data that would let anyone paying attention see that some phones were not originally sold in the area where they were being used. That would be red flag city.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-20 17:31  

#8  /\ Would be too much electronic magic for me as well jpal, had I not see it on a smaller scale elsewhere.

Single source intelligence (signals) backed up with overhead imagery or human intelligence (HUMINT) becomes MULTI-Source and actionable. Folks really need to take those cellies seriously. The Taliban seldom did, figuring switching off from a pocketful of 'selectors' (cell phones) would spoof the infidels. Didn't work then, won't work now. A good analyst can recognize the voice, even without sophisticated voice recognition tools.

Nesting or clustering of selector signals produces 'top of the deck' high value targets (HVT). Geo location technology was no friend of the Taliban.

HUMINT note... I am sure the Ukrainistas are witting and on the lookout for possible Russian infiltrators and reporters. Everybody that smiles at ya, ain't your friend.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-03-20 17:26  

#7  I seriously doubt it was the cell phones. If so why not plant decoy cell phones all over the country to draw enemy fire away from your position?
Posted by: jpal   2022-03-20 16:48  

#6  #4 - just the Fitbits with GPS. I still wear an early one that just tells me "walk more, fat ass"
Posted by: Frank G   2022-03-20 16:00  

#5  The Russians can confirm cells are trouble. They have had at least 2-3 generals killed because of them.
Posted by: DarthVader   2022-03-20 15:55  

#4  If that's true, then they are (were) absolute morons.

But if not the phones, then the Fitbits.

Here's a link that is not pay-walled.
Posted by: DooDahMan   2022-03-20 15:04  

#3  ^ Looks to be about 50.45466 N, 30.5238 E.
Fire for effect.
Posted by: SteveS   2022-03-20 14:53  

#2  "Guess where I am..."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-20 14:36  

#1  Rather obvious takeaway: Cellies can be big trouble.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-03-20 14:33  

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