Ukrainian security service discovers about 40,000 video cameras Russians could use for espionage and adjusting strikes

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has discovered about 40,000 video surveillance cameras potentially used by Russian military and intelligence services for espionage, target identification and strike adjustment, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing the SBU. To prevent this, Ukrainian law enforcement officers protected the cameras from unauthorised access, changed their viewing direction or blocked their operation.

Illustrative image. Photo: Canva

According to the WSJ, Russia and Ukraine use video surveillance cameras to gather intelligence, specifically about the movement of military equipment, the location of facilities and the consequences of strikes. Access to such cameras is often achieved through weak device security.

In 2024, Russian hackers breached cameras in Kyiv apartment blocks, including one installed by a homeowners’ association. According to the SBU, Russians planned to use them to find targets and adjust missile strikes.

In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the SBU has discovered about 40,000 potentially dangerous cameras. Some of them were protected from unauthorised access, while others were reconfigured or blocked.

At the same time, the international hacker group Team OneFist helped Ukraine gather information about Russian military facilities in temporarily occupied Crimea.

Specifically, the hackers gained access to a camera in Sevastopol, through which they monitored Russian ships, submarines and helicopters. In this way, they discovered a previously unknown airbase and passed the information to the Ukrainian military. Ukraine subsequently struck the facility, damaging aircraft and air defence systems.

Furthermore, Team OneFist gained access to cameras on the Kerch bridge. Thanks to this, the hackers discovered that Russians had installed motion sensors under the bridge to protect against waterborne attacks.

To provide background, on 2 January 2024, the SBU blocked two video surveillance cameras in Kyiv that Russian intelligence services had hacked to monitor the operation of Ukrainian air defences and critical infrastructure facilities.

Residents had installed one of the cameras on the balcony of an apartment building to monitor the surrounding area. Russian hackers gained access to it, changed the viewing angle and connected the broadcast to YouTube.

The other camera operated on the territory of a residential complex and was originally intended to monitor the car park. After the breach, Russian intelligence services used it to monitor the capital’s critical infrastructure facilities.

Journalists from Skhemy, a project of Radio Liberty, conducted an investigation into the risks of using cameras with foreign-made software. They drew attention to video surveillance systems that could transmit data to servers in China. At the same time, Kyiv city authorities assured that the municipal video surveillance system is secure and does not transmit information to third parties.

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