The Verkhovna Rada is considering the possibility of restricting mobile Internet during “shaheed” attacks
The Verkhovna Rada is considering the possibility of restricting the mobile Internet in areas where the concentration of “shaheeds” is recorded. Oleksandr Fedienko, the head of the subcommittee on cyber security, stated this. informs BBC.
Such an idea was addressed in connection with the intensification of Russian attacks by drones that use mobile communication. For the first time, a modem with a Ukrainian SIM card was discovered on a “shahedi” in November 2023, and now hundreds and thousands of them are found in the wreckage of drones.
Cellular communication is not used to control the drones, but it allows the operators to transmit data about the coordinates, altitude and speed of the flight. This allows the Russians to analyze the effectiveness of strikes and adjust routes to bypass Ukrainian air defenses.
Base stations of mobile operators act as kind of beacons for clarifying routes. If “Shaheed” has problems with navigation due to the work of the EW, he can restore positioning thanks to registration in the Ukrainian mobile network. The head of the training and instructional group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Donik, notes that the mobile network can also be used by missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.
There is a working group in Ukraine, which includes military personnel, counter-intelligence agents, representatives of operators and experts. It should soon present recommendations for countering the use of Ukrainian mobile networks by the Russian military.
We are considering options for turning off the mobile Internet on the routes of the “shahed” or blocking the registration of new SIM cards that enter the high-speed coverage area from the territory of Russia. At the same time, they do not plan to limit the landline Internet.
“If the military says that it is necessary to turn off network fragments where a cluster of “shaheeds” is recorded, we will consider it. The main thing is to make it difficult for Russian drones to work.” Fedienko explained.
Critics of such measures believe that they will not have a significant effect. The main navigation system for “shaheeds” is GPS, the auxiliary one is inertial navigation. In addition, drones often fly over areas where there is no mobile coverage.
