Thread by @AdiFloyde

How #OSINT and #Geolocation is helping the Russian #WARINUKRAINE by helping Russians #Artillery to adjust fire onto targets in #Ukraine.

As an ex-gunner in the Royal Artillery, I will start by defining artillery as ordnance that is capable of long-range indirect fire at a target too distant to be seen. I.e. does not need line of sight to the target. Which includes Mortars, Artillery shells, Rockets and Missiles.

Artillery needs an observer to be effective, whether that is a person on the ground giving adjustments, or electronic means, such as a drone or the like. The observer adjusts the fire by telling the guns adjust the aim left, right or up and down to hit the target.

Remember, artillery is an area weapon, it is used to suppress the target by hitting the target area with overwhelming fire power.

Near realtime geolocation of artillery splashes (hits), especially within built up areas but also near road junctions can be used to adjust later artillery fire missions.

For instance if a civilian building is hit near a railway junction, the likely intended target was the railway junction. It is clear the Russians are not using observers on the ground, especially for longer range, rocket and missile attacks.

By sharing the geolocation of the building that was hit allows the adjustment of artillery for later fire missions. It would be advisable to say that an attack hit a civilian area within the district of ....

I really appreciate the work that the OSINT community does; however, I am shocked on how much relevant and near realtime tactical information is being shared, on social media. #opsec is important; however, please consider the opsec of the people fighting on the ground.

This is what a real artillery fire mission looks like, curtesy of the 72nd Mechanised Brigade. Believed to have been this morning on the outskirts of #Kyiv.

If a building is hit next to an airfield, instead of posting the geolocated coordinates of the building, I would advise saying a building was hit at the airfield.

I do not have a problem with geolocation; just remember, the older the information the less tactical significance it has. Continue geolocating but don't share the coordinates. There are organisations that you can send verified and geolocated images and videos too.