Ukraine Cracking Down on Civilians Who Share Videos of Russian Strikes

Four residents of the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia were detained for filming and sharing videos of Russian attacks, according to Ukraine's security agency.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said in a Telegram post Wednesday that one of the four detainees took a video showing the aftermath of an attack by an Iranian-made Shahed-136 "Kamikaze" drone. The video depicted "the scale of damage to a critical infrastructure object," the post said, but did not specify the critical infrastructure in question.

The civilian who filmed the video shared it with three colleagues, who in turn shared it with additional friends, the SSU said.

"Within half an hour, the video appeared among Russian propagandists, and within an hour there was a second rocket attack, which led to even greater destruction and injuries to people," the post added.

The agency's crackdown against the sharing of videos that could reveal the accuracy, or inaccuracy, of strikes on Ukraine is especially notable in the context of a recent wave of Russian attacks.

Last week, Russia began unleashing a barrage of missile strikes that targeted critical infrastructure and civilian areas across Ukraine, including Kyiv, the capital. Russian President Vladimir Putin framed the attacks as retaliation for an explosion on the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula, that he blamed on Ukraine.

The sharing of photos and videos of Russian strikes soon after they take place, which have resulted in repeat strikes with even better accuracy since the start of the war in February, is forbidden, the Kyiv Independent reported.

The SSU shared a statement it attributed to one of the detained Vinnytsia residents, who was not identified and expressed remorse over sharing the video.

"Currently, I understand that the specified materials were used by the aggressor country to the detriment of the security of Ukraine. I am aware of the wrongness of my actions, my video materials could have been used to correct the accuracy of the hitting task. I have no intention of harming Ukraine or helping the aggressor state," the resident said, according to the SSU.

The agency noted that "such actions are subject to criminal liability."

"The service records cases of distribution of such videos on the Internet, carries out a complex of investigative and procedural actions to establish and bring the perpetrators to justice," it added.

The SSU post did not provide additional details on the four Vinnytsia residents who were detained, when they were taken into custody, what will happen to them or when the Russian strike depicted in the video took place.

In mid-July, Russia claimed responsibility for a strike on Vinnytsia that Ukraine said killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Newsweek reached out to the SSU for additional details, as well as to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.