Thread by @J_MaestreVidal

Let’s talk about the software developed by #Ukrainian engineers to assist UA against #Russian aggression (Delta, MilChat, etc)
I have been researching this topic, their development cycles, and use in combat; and I want to share with you some findings.
Large🧵(1/20)

I would like to make it clear that this reflection comes from #OSINT, and that this thread will not compromise #Ukrainian #OPSEC
There could be interpretation errors (most sources were in Ukrainian, a language I do not speak), so corrections are welcome
(2/20)

First, it should be noted that none of these tools could be considered a #Wunderwaffe
They will undoubtedly help #Ukraine in its war effort, but having them will not win the war. This software will be an element to be taken into account in combination with others factors
(3/20)

Another aspect to bear in mind is that unlike what is found in some sources, their development cycle has not been immediate.
Most stem from the lessons learnt from the 2014+ invasion, and have been undergoing integration tests with NATO standards (eg. #FMN) for years
(4/20)

For example, days after Ukraine presented Delta software to the NATO NC3O, the CERT-UA (Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine) warned of a campaign targeting DELTA' situational awareness program, which was properly mitigated thanks to them
thehackernews.com/2022/12/ukrain…
(5/20)

Lessons learnt are particularly noted in terms of connectivity, information exchange and security. It should be recalled that in 2017 Russian cyber fires gained prominence by affecting Ukrainian command and control systems (e.g. #NotPetya), which was minimized in 2022+
(6/20)

Added to the above effort is the ability to interact with and organize the often volunteer labor of developers from all over the world, joining different specialities. Here is a link to GitHub that brings together several communities github.com/grem11n/awesom…
(7/20)

These capabilities were devised at interwar but continuously adapted to an evolving war. If you are familiar with sw development methodologies (e.g #Agile), imagine the challenge in collecting and integrating feedback from end-user that are literally in trenches!!
(8/20)

The work of a #Scrum Team must be titanic; and to have a workforce that learns to work in such conditions (and effectively) is impressive
I would love to take a look at the Backlog, Epics, Sprint Retrospectives, etc. of these development teams. Many lessons to be learnt
(9/20)

The result: from a strategic point of view, #Ukraine has acquired ability to develop its own digital tools for combat use. This has been done on the basis of unique, field-tested lessons learned and by building a workforce capable of driving such developments (10/20)

Since most digital tools focalize on civil-military cooperation, they allow to better organise citizens and achieve their most effective involvement in war efforts (the latter is very relevant in terms of building National resistance, see 👇)

https://twitter.com/J_MaestreVidal/status/1610608180748488706

(11/20)

At Tactical/Operational, digital tools assisted manoeuvre and enemy reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, unit of effort, observation for artillery fires, etc.
They were particularly important during the first phase of the invasion, with huge theatre of operations
(12/20)

Here 7 examples of digital tools proven in #UkraineRussianWar
1) Let's start with Milchat, the only app I've been able to find in Google Play. The project initiated in 2018 and is used by 60,000 defenders. Provides end-to-end secure messaging
play.google.com/store/apps/det…
(13/20)

2) Kropyva / Nettle is widely used by artillerymen,
How does Nettle work? Reconnaissance and other fighters enter the coordinates of the enemy target into the Android application, which are received by the nearest artillery battery, which strikes
bit.ly/3XneCuK
(14/20)

3) #Delta delivers a detailed picture of the specific sectors of the frontline, allowing users to identify friend and foe, learn about the location/type of particular objects, and trace the changes that took place or were made by other users

(15/20)

4) GIS Art for Artillery is used to coordinate artillery strikes. It has fast targeting (one minute), does not require units to use specialized devices (they use smartphones), and does not require artillery pieces to be clustered together
gisarta.org/en/
(16/20)

5) ComBat Vision enables online management of troops. Based on various sources, captures objects’ location and appearance, classifies and filters them using the embedded GIS, and afterwards, provides the results to the users for analysis
combat.vision
(17/20)

6) Virazh-Planshet system absorbs information from all active radars (and presumably also allied intelligence) and feeds it to tablets issued to air defense units
No more details of this tool for OPSEC reasons

https://twitter.com/Mortis_Banned/status/1584107361136168960

(18/20)

7) UKROP / MyGun is a ballistic calculator for gunners that worked even on push-button phones used by 18,000 soldiers - on Android it is UKROP, and on iOS - MyGun. Programmers from EPAM and other IT companies helped to update them
bit.ly/3WnTsLP (19/20)

There are many others...
A final reflection: It is likely that some of these tools assisted UA at the hardest moments, being part of victories, and eventually saving lives.
This may help us to do not forget that every war effort, even far from trenches, is important
(20/20)