Russia blamed deadly strike on troops using phones. Here's why it might be more about bad planning

Russia's explanation that dozens oftheirsoldierswere killed in a strike earlier this week asa result of troops divulgingpositions through their use of cellphonesis being questioned by some observers who believe bad military planning wasthe ultimate cause.

The use of cellphones by Russian soldiers may have playedsome role it has been a significant military problem for the Russians during the war but according to experts, it's also an indication of the lack of training and discipline among the troops.

"This is kind of an endemic issue to the current Russian military in that their forces are so poorly trained and poorly disciplined that they really don't practise good operational security measures at all," said Karolina Hird,a Russia analyst on the Russia/Ukraine portfolio at the Institute for the Study of War.

The strikethat killed 89 Russian service members occurredjust after midnight on New Year's Day on a school that was converted into military quarters in Makiivka, in the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region.

In a statement Wednesday,Russia's defence ministry said it was "already obviousthat the main reason" forthe attack was due to "the switching on and massive use contrary to the prohibition by personnel of mobile phones in a reach zone of enemy weapons."

According to the statement, that was the factor that "allowed the enemy to track and determine the co-ordinates of the soldiers' location for a missile strike."

WATCH | Soldiers usedcellphones before deadlymissile strike,Russians say:

Russia blames troops cellphone use for deadly Ukraine strike

2 years ago

Duration 2:35

DESCRIPTION: WARNING: Graphic images In a rare admission, Russia is blaming its own soldiers for a New Year's Eve rocket attack that killed 89 of its troops, saying the unauthorized use of cellphones allowed Ukraine to locate them. Experts say it's just another indication of problems with the Russian military.

Concentration of troops showed lack of training, planning

Hird agreed that the use of cell phones by Russian soldiers likely playeda rolein the strike, as it seemed to be timed after Russian President Vladimir Putin's New Year's Eve speech, when many of thesoldiers would have likely been on their phones, texting their familiesto wish them a Happy New Year.

"Three hundred, 400 cell phone signals just light up in one spot," she said. "That is an element, that could have guided the strike."

However, she noted that any sort of adequately trained, professional army wouldn't have had such a concentration of personnel so close to the front line in non-tactical positions within artillery range of the enemy.

"Cellphone use, yesit played a role. However, it is relatively immaterial because the fact that cellphone usewas able to kind of provide the Ukrainians with the edge in conducting the strike is more indicative of the military failures and the command failures."

Jake Harrington, an intelligence expertat the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said cellphone use potentially played a role, but he was skepticalthat it was the main cause of the attack.

In this case, he said it was possible that someone saw the consolidationof personnel and reported it back to the Ukrainian military,notingit was a"significant leadership failure" to allow thatmany troops to gatherin one spot so close to the front line in a building containingammunition.

Technology provides new tracking opportunities

Still, Harrington said that throughout the war, Russian troops have been using personal cellphones that the Ukrainians have been able to track.

The Ukrainians "still own the infrastructure that those calls are riding on.They can listen to those calls as well," he said, noting it's a huge problem for the Russians.

"The fact that they've shown the risk to their lives that they're incurring by using these phones in places where they can be tracked down and they're still using them, I think, isjusta sign of a force that'spoorly trained, poor morale, poor leadership."

Hirdsaid there have been a few instances where Russian soldiers have posted footage to social mediathat's very easy to locate that is then hit, noting a recent incident where a Russian serviceman posted a photo in front of anidentifiable location in Oleshky, a town in the Kherson region.

"And of course, that place was then struck."

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, which studies communication technologies and spywareat the University of Toronto'sMunk School of Global Affairs, said cellphones have become the Achilles heelof modern militariesand have been giving away militarypositions ever since soldiersstarted using them.

"Nothing there has changed except the fact that there are now many, many more ways that information can be emitted."

There's the "old schoolstuff" of signal triangulation, he said, but noted thatthere's now also advertising andappspeople use that containlocation data.

"It'stheir search behaviour, it's what they post," Scott-Railtonsaid. "There are lots of different ways that cellphones can be tracked."

Cellphoneshuge problem for modern militaries

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program for theFoundation for Defense of Democracies, said despite their potential risk,Russians continue to use cellphones in partbecause they're neededfor operationaluse.

He said that in many cases,Russia's military communicationseither weren't working, the troops weren't trained to use them or there weren'tenough radios and they had to rely on cellphones to communicate on the battlefield.

Hardieechoed the ideathat cellphone use by soldiers has become a huge problem for every modern military.

"You see the amount of cellphone footage coming out from the Ukrainian side, for example. You know, this is a concern," he said, noting thatthe Ukrainians sent orders and guidance to troopsaround cellphone usage along withprecautions they shouldtake. "But you're never going to be 100 per cent on this."

Still, he said it's a big operational security concern for Western militaries. "And the U.S services, for example, really try to hammer this home."

According to Harrington, the U.S. Defence Departmentandintelligence agencies are looking into the issue of what's known as "signature management" figuring out ways to ensure troops aren't emitting signals that can be tracked by the enemy.

Until that can be managed, Hardie saysit often comes down to which troops have the most discipline.

"And I think as we've seen from the Russians, that's not exactly their strong suit."