1/ Why has Russia failed so abysmally at providing secure battlefield communications to its troops in Ukraine? The answer, concludes Russian warblogger Oleg Tsarev, is that the military communications budget has been looted for years by corrupt generals and contractors. ⬇️
2/ Tsarev relates the dismal history of Russia's military communications programmes:
"I remember how, at the beginning of the Special Military Operation, all units were buying Motorola radios. There was no other communications."
3/ "Now, Elon Musk has shut down the Starlink terminals our military used in the Special Military Operation, and our communications at the front have been disrupted. I'm talking to military personnel: many say we still have virtually no communications of our own.
4/ "In short, attempts to create domestic military communications were spent on funds that were then embezzled. High-quality communications remain nonexistent.
5/ "Russian military communications over the past 15 years has involved tens of trillions [of rubles] in rearmament, several key "digital army" programmes, and a string of criminal cases from generals to plant directors.
6/ "Since 2011, military communications has been integrated into two State Armament Programmes—GPV-2020 and GPV-2027.
7/ "Exact communications expenditures are classified, but major thefts uncovered provide a quantifiable figure: digital telecommunications systems and tactical radios alone represent purchases of 18 billion rubles [$233 million] or more.
8/ "The main projects through which the funds were channeled included the R-168 Akveduk tactical radios, the R-187P1 Azart sixth-generation radios, the Andromeda-D automated airborne command and control system, and integrated fiber-optic telecommunications networks.
9/ "The official overseer is the Russian Ministry of Defence, with the Main Communications Directorate, specialised research institutes, and the Sozvezdie concern serving as the primary contractor.
10/ "One story involves General Khalil Arslanov, the former head of the Main Communications Directorate.
11/ "According to investigators, at least 2.2 billion rubles [$28.5 million] were embezzled from a total purchase volume of approximately 18 billion rubles between 2013 and 2017 during the procurement of digital equipment and network upgrades.
12/ "Instead of Russian-made equipment, troops received Chinese equipment with altered identification plates at inflated prices.
13/ "A separate episode relating to Azart radio stations involved the theft of 6.7 billion rubles [$87 million]. Arslanov was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
14/ "The case materials also include Major General Alexander Ogloblin (former head of the 1st Directorate of the Main Directorate of Security) and Colonel Kutakhov; their testimony led investigators to a scheme to inflate prices and substitute equipment.
15/ "Another story concerns digital telecommunications equipment and the 46th Central Research Institute.
16/ "It was established that the general director of the relevant entity, along with a group of individuals, embezzled at least 460 million rubles [$6 million] during those same years through inflated prices and incomplete work.
17/ "The third case involves the Defence Ministry's fiber-optic communications network. Between 2012 and 2014, a fraud case involving 188 million rubles [$2.4 million] was opened against the 31st State Design Institute for Specialised Construction and the Radiostroy company.
18/ "Case number four uncovered a scheme to embezzle approximately 250 million rubles [$3.2 million] from state defence contracts in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, while supplying communications equipment worth over 5 billion rubles [$65 million].
19/ "The fifth case involves regional plants, such as the Slavgorod Radio Equipment Plant in the Altai Territory, where the director caused 18 million rubles [$233,000] in damages and received a four-year prison sentence.
20/ "Separately, there were cases against the Central Research Institute of Electrical Engineering and Control Systems (TsNII EISU), where former executives were accused of embezzling over 500 million rubles [$6.4 million] while developing communications systems for aircraft.
21/ "I've listed the stories that have become publicly known—involving billions of dollars and real prison sentences. Military communications cases are classified as related to state defence procurement; there are no separate statistics.
22/ "But what exists is sufficient to understand the scale. After all, the phrase "2.2 billion rubles in embezzlement identified" in the Arslanov case is only the proven portion of the 18 billion rubles worth of contracts. And how much more remains to be revealed in such cases...
23/ "On paper, everything looked perfect: the Azart, Akveduk, and Andromeda-D radios were supposed to provide soldiers with secure digital communications—from the tank to the headquarters.
24/ "In reality, by February 2022, the military had Chinese Baofeng analogue radios without encryption, costing around 2,500 rubles [$31]. [The Ukrainians] could easily monitor the airwaves and cover them with artillery.
25/ "The money was lost in kickbacks and contracts for supplies from China with altered nameplates. Everything was "mastered" for the reports, but the troops received a zoo of incompatible devices.
Orders were given. Money was allocated. There is no communication system." /end
Source:
t.me/olegtsarov/393…
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