Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have been seen using the popular messenger app for gamers, Discord, to coordinate drone surveillance and strikes.

The effects of the ban are likely to hit the front lines in Ukraine as well, where both Kyiv and Moscow’s troops have been seen using Discord to coordinate drone operations.

Several videos posted online have shown uniformed men watching surveillance drone feeds on the platform, including one clip said to have captured the interior of a command post in Bakhmut.

  • drathvedro@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    1 hour ago

    This is absolutely bizarre and a disgrace to the Russian military that this was even a thing. Like, Russia has complete in-house comm systems, all the way down to the silicon. They’re as elegant as charcoal clothing iron, but at least they’re secure. In fact, they’re so paranoid about NSA plants that they even force businesses to use in-house encryption to submit accounting reports. And then the same idiots allow risking lives of officers by using random software in a command center…

    Though I feel like the response is also far from best. There are numerous alternatives they can switch to, so the ban is mostly going to only hit innocent gamers. It’d be much more impactful if they just silently handed access to those channels over to Ukrainians.

  • N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    30·
    8 hours ago

    Don’t worry, Russian military. I know a company in Hungary that sells pagers and walkie-talkies in bulk to facilitate communication.

  • mhague@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    6 hours ago

    There can’t seriously be respectable, noteworthy people in Russia saying that banning Discord is a mistake because it helps the Russian military. That’s bizzaro world stuff even for them.

  • helenslunch@feddit.nlEnglish
    19·
    9 hours ago

    Russians using Telegram and Discord reaks of a ridiculously high level of incompetence…

    Their military communications are not private at all? They have no encrypted messaging platforms? Like WTF

    • BottleOfAlkahest@lemmy.worldEnglish
      18·
      9 hours ago

      Early in the war one of their generals was bombed off the face of the earth because troops at his location were using their regular old cellphones for military coordination. Russian communication issues have been a huge stumbling block for them this whole time.

  • YeetPics@mander.xyzEnglish
    11·
    8 hours ago

    Why doesn’t Russia just use the Russian state-sponsored communication platform?

    What do you mean 80 year old radios keyed to commercial bands aren’t adequate in 2024?!?!

  • _bcron_@lemmy.worldEnglish
    76·
    13 hours ago

    It’s pretty wild to think they took this long to prohibit using US-based software for such sensitive information

    • IcePee@lemmy.beru.coEnglish
      60·
      13 hours ago

      Maybe it took this long to develop an alternative. They now have an alternative… Right? The Kremlin wouldn’t send it’s citizens off to fight without being sufficiently equipped… Right?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
          131·
          12 hours ago

          They still have those wire phones with a hand crank.

          Good, because I don’t care how nice their soup cans are, there’s no way a string would be able to stay taut between Moscow and Donetsk.

        • Prizephitah@feddit.nuEnglish
          51·
          12 hours ago

          Relaying sensitive information over your own wires are a lot more secure then a privately owned service from a foreign country. It’s just a lot more cumbersome.