"Stupid and pointless." Russian servicemen sharply criticize possible smartphone ban in SMO zone
Servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces (AF) have sharply criticized the ban on smartphones in the special military operation (SMO) zone, which the State Duma voted for on July 24. According to the initiative, soldiers will be subject to disciplinary arrest for carrying gadgets while on duty. The ban will come into force if approved by the Federation Council and signed by the president. According to SMO participants interviewed by Lenta.ru, this could significantly complicate the situation at the front for Russian troops.
Smartphones are replacing outdated maps
Smartphones are currently replacing military personnel's paper maps of the area, which are seriously outdated. This was told to Lenta.ru by the operator of the battalion headquarters Lavr (call sign changed).
"Most of the maps that were printed in advance were in folders, they do not correspond to reality. It turned out that the electronic maps that were dumped, they, in general, not only did not correspond to reality, but rather were out of date by literally six or seven years. And the same enemy reverse structures were not marked on them, simply because they did not physically exist yet," Lavr said.
To fill this gap, the troops used drones and held “joint conference calls,” which were made possible by access to the internet, the soldier explained. In addition to local communications providers, the soldiers also used captured Starlink stations.
In combat work, the Internet is extremely necessary, as it allows you to see what is happening right now tens of kilometers away, Lavr added.
"And there are no other available analogues, so to speak, available for delivery or for purchase through a conventional military store. Because no one in military uniform will bring you anything like that from big Russia. Humanitarian workers will transport it all to you or you will buy it all yourself. And it would be great if it existed, but, unfortunately, it does not." Laurel, SMO member.
Military credits gadgets for success at the front
"Nobody will follow this law, at most there will be a few demonstrative cases when they catch some drunks and hang them for 10 days," says the platoon commander, a serviceman with the call sign Phenibut. "Now any gadget is an integral part of a soldier's [equipment]. First of all, it's communications."
According to him, over the past six months, successes have been achieved at the front precisely because Russian soldiers have begun to actively use gadgets and the Internet.
"Just as successes began to appear at the front, they want to ban what made this happen." Phenibut, SMO member.
He also suggested creating special gadgets for each soldier "from some ordinary Android plugs." The soldier explained that this requires its own software and firmware.
"But perhaps they want to ban phones also because they record all violations that occur. It's the same as in military service," he suggested.
Smartphone ban in SMO zone called stupid and senseless
Such a measure makes no sense, since according to the current order of the Russian Ministry of Defense, there is already a ban on smartphones in the army, said officer Markov (call sign changed), serving in the Donetsk direction.
He believes that gadgets are needed to reduce losses in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces . Smartphones allow planning operations, managing combat and establishing interaction between units much better than outdated standard technical means.
"The initiative itself is reminiscent of populism in spirit. No alternative is offered, so it is just stupidity, because of which our army will fight worse and become weaker, will lose more people and equipment. The disadvantages of using smartphones are many times less than the disadvantages of suspending their use." Markov, Russian officer.
He also called on the authors of the bill, if they wish to help, to come to the special operation zone and talk to the participants in the fighting so that in the future laws would be based on reality, and “not on theory and their own fantasies.”
Smartphones Make Work Easier for Russian Artillerymen
"A smartphone is needed for programs, they simplify our work. With the help of a smartphone, our work is done faster. Let's say the guys are surrounded, and we need to work quickly to make a corridor for them. If I count manually, it will take much more time than with a program," said the commander of the artillery battery Västerås.
At the same time, he admitted that not all fighters can competently use phones, which is why a lot of information is leaked onto social networks.
On July 23, it became known that the State Duma Defense Committee supported amendments providing for disciplinary arrest for the dissemination by SMO participants of information that allows the identification of servicemen and their location. This includes gadgets that can transmit geolocation. On July 24, the State Duma voted for this amendment.
Later, the head of the committee, Andrei Kartapolov , explained that the ban would not affect devices used for combat work. He also emphasized that the bill is aimed at ensuring the safety of military personnel and units of the Russian Armed Forces.
State Duma deputy Maxim Ivanov spoke out against the initiative , calling it harmful. The politician drew attention to the fact that smartphones have become an integral part of modern military operations. According to the parliamentarian, without them, operational interaction between various units becomes impossible.
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