The Russian Interior Ministry is warning residents of besieged areas to turn off home surveillance systems and dating apps to prevent Ukraine from using them for intelligence gathering.

Residents of the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions received the warnings as Russia is apparently shaken by the Ukrainian invasion of the south-west of the country.

“The enemy massively identifies IP ranges in our territories and remotely connects to unprotected video surveillance cameras, watching everything from private land to roads and highways of strategic importance,” the ministry said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. “In this regard, it is better not to use video surveillance cameras if there is no urgent need.

“It is strongly discouraged to use online dating services. The enemy actively uses such sources for covert information gathering.”

The warnings were just two of many in a public memo aimed at protecting the identities of key Russian figures, including military, law enforcement and nuclear industry workers.

They follow a surprise offensive launched by Ukraine on August 6, which saw it enter Kursk Oblast and seize hundreds of square kilometers of land in a matter of weeks.

Kiev claims to have captured more land in three weeks than Russia has since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials, meanwhile, say nearly 200,000 residents of Kursk and Belgorod have been evacuated following the advance of Ukrainian troops.

The warnings in the memo appear to be motivated by fears that Russians with knowledge of Ukrainian interests will be captured and their devices searched for information.

The military was reminded that it should not open links from sources other than official sources, and that it should not use devices that contain a significant amount of state and/or personal information in the first place.

According to Russian police officers, it is necessary to monitor and moderate chats and immediately delete accounts of people captured by the enemy, as well as people whose phones the enemy has gained access to.

If Telegram was used, users were advised to disable the app’s feature that allows other users to identify people who are geographically close to them. It was also advised to remove any markers that link an individual to a specific affiliation, such as soldiers, law enforcement officers, and people working in the energy sector, particularly nuclear power.

“If your number appears in the search results and is registered by third parties as ‘Lesha FSB’, ‘Pasha Rosgvardia’, ‘Misha 123 Regiment’, this number must be changed. It has been hacked.”

Social media posts should also be checked. All geo-tagged images and posts should be removed. There is a risk that these could be used to locate Russian troops.

Citizens were also asked not to post footage from dashcams or similar equipment on social media. This footage could specifically show Russian military equipment in transit. This footage could then be used to locate soldiers.

The Reg has asked the Ukrainian embassy in London for comment, but has not responded. ®