Arms delivery videos lay bare Slovakia to Russia

An increasing number of videos showing Western weapons destined for Ukraine, filmed in Slovakia, have been appearing all over Russian social media and could threaten the country’s security and leak classified information, according to the Defence Ministry.

Some of the videos of arms deliveries to Ukraine filmed in Slovakia have made their way to Russian social media channels that support Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.

One such channel, Rybar, recently posted a map with the location of an industrial park in Eastern Slovakia where British AS-90 self-propelled howitzers are transported and backed up the information with amateur pictures showing the truck loaded with howitzers.

“Perhaps it is here that inspection work is being carried out on Western-made weapons before their final transfer to Ukraine,” wrote the channel, which has more than a million followers.

This is “a relatively new trend related to the military conflict in Ukraine”, the Slovak Defence Ministry said. While some of these images may end up in Russia unintentionally, just because drivers take pictures on the unusual convoys and post them, others may be deliberate.

Military intelligence officers “are paying attention” to the images and where they end up, the Defence Ministry told Denník N.

“Military intelligence obtains and evaluates information, including on activities threatening the security of Slovakia. It also addresses possible leaks or threats to classified information,” wrote ministry spokeswoman Martina Kovaľ Kakaščíková.

The spokeswoman did not disclose details of any measures the ministry is taking to deal with the situation.

“We are constantly monitoring and evaluating potential security risks directed against the interests of the Slovak Republic, but due to the existence of a legal obstacle, we cannot comment further on this topic,” SIS, Slovakia’s central intelligence service, said in its universal reply.

(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)