Log off dating apps; Russian authorities tell border region citizens over security fears

By: Kobina Baidoo

As Ukraine gradually advances into Russian territory, authorities in Russia have asked citizens along the border to desist from using dating apps to reduce likely interruptions by Ukraine intelligence.

The plea issued by Russia’s interior minister was addressed to the residents of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions as well as military and police personnel stationed in the area territories to refrain from using “online dating services” and be mindful of streaming videos from sensitive locations.

As Ukrainian troops continued their advances through Russian territory, the ministry issued a long list of recommendations, advising people not to open any hyperlinks in messages received from strangers and not to stream videos from roads where military vehicles were present.

Russian authorities in engagements by reporters, listed hyperlinks, cryptic videos and unprotected CCTV cameras as majorly orchestrated techniques which could be used by Ukraine intelligence to gather data and control databases. “The enemy actively uses such resources for information gathering,” the ministry said in a post on its official Telegram channel.

Troops and police officers were advised to remove all geo-tagging on their social media, as “the enemy monitors social networks in real time by these tags and reveals the actual location of military and security forces.”