Fifteen days in prison for using a mobile phone on the front lines is the punishment Russian soldiers face. The Duma passed a law this week that toughens penalties for personal use of electronic devices such as smartphones or tablets on the front lines in Ukraine. It has caused an outcry among pro-war Russian bloggers.
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” Do the people who prepared these amendments understand how modern warfare works? “, the military blogger Yarem complains on Telegram.
The law makes possession of devices that allow military personnel to store or send videos, photos or geolocation data over the Internet a serious offense, punishable by up to 10 days in detention.
Thermal cameras with Wi-Fi, tablets that allow navigation, smartphones that serve as remote controls for drones: it is difficult today to do without this equipment. Especially since, as the investigative media in exile points out Mojem Obiasnitthe radios purchased by the Russian Defense Ministry proved unsuitable for the front line. At the very beginning of the invasion ofUkraineRussian military personnel were issued cards dating back to the 1980s.
The “military correspondent” of the Russian daily Komsomolskaya PravdaAlexandre Kots, suggests that the deputies who voted for the amendments be sent to the front line.
“ There is no doubt that the main reason for this ban is that the smartphones of fighters and commanders often leak unpleasant truths. “, writes Oleg Tsarev, a former Ukrainian MP who has gone over to Moscow. Another prominent blogger fears that this law will be applied selectively, against soldiers who might be tempted to publish videos to draw attention to the problems facing their units.
The legislation also worries Ukrainian bloggers, who fear a drying up of information on the real state of the front.
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