A set of mysterious symbols has appeared on various buildings in Kyiv, raising fears that Russian saboteurs could mark targets for a major airstrike.
Then photos of the symbols are spread on social networks UkraineThe State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection (DSSZZI) published a warning on social media on Friday, encouraging residents to cover it up.
Red and orange crosses are painted on various structures in the capital, including several tall buildings, with certain symbols visible only under UV light.
“City officials are asking residents of high-rise buildings who have access to the roof to urgently check the roofs for symbols,” the statement said.
“If any symbols are found, please cover them with soil or something else.”
Fears that the symbols could actually be target indicators were confirmed over the weekend when Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said: “City officials are urging citizens to immediately report marked places, send photos to law enforcement and report suspects who may be involved in the marking. ‘
“Labels are set to adjust the fire of the occupying forces of the Russian Federation.”
This comes amid growing fears that Kyiv may soon be under heavy attack after the Kremlin warned civilians this morning to leave the city on a “safe highway” to the southwest.
Russia used a similar tactic during its intervention in Syria, in which military leaders told civilians to leave cities by safe route before carrying out heavy bombardments while fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad.
Kyiv, along with the cities of Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv, have already been hit by Russian artillery fire.
A set of mysterious symbols has appeared on various buildings in Kyiv, raising fears that Russian saboteurs could mark targets for a major airstrike. Images that supposedly show the symbols are spread on social networks
Red and orange crosses have reportedly been painted on various structures in the capital, with the mayor of Kyiv and government social media accounts urging citizens to cover them up.
This comes amid growing fears that Kyiv may soon be under heavy attack after the Kremlin warned civilians this morning to leave the city on a “safe route” to the southwest (pictured: the moment a rocket hit a residential building in Kyiv in weekend)
Fears that the symbols could actually be target indicators were confirmed over the weekend when Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said: “City officials are urging citizens to immediately report marked places, send photos to law enforcement and report suspects who may be involved in the marking. ‘ “Labels are set to adjust the fire of the occupying forces of the Russian Federation”
The use of target indicators (TIs) for air strikes was pioneered mainly by the RAF and the German Luftwaffe during World War II.
Target marking squadrons will fly over all planned targets and drop bombs full of flares, showering the area with bright sparks and providing a visible target for oncoming bombers.
It is reported that the Ukrainian military has now captured several silent, light-emitting beacons from several positions around the capital, believed to be TIs for Russian planes or missiles.
These lights can be used as TIs to aim missiles at their targets with precise accuracy and to help them avoid obstacles or enemy fire.
The Ukrainian Service for Special Communications and Information Protection (DSSZZI) issued a warning on the symbols on Friday. “City officials are asking residents of high-rise buildings who have access to the roof to urgently check the roofs for symbols,” the statement said. “If any symbols are found, please cover them with your finger or something else”
Meanwhile, the precedents drawn represent a more old-fashioned approach to target indication – although they are less susceptible to sabotage, jamming and hacking than more modern methods.
A video shared on Twitter claims to show one of the transmitting devices captured by Ukrainian forces flashing intermittently with sharp green lights.
The caption read: “Footage from the device used by Russian sabotage units in Ukraine. The light object was extracted by Ukrainian forces.
“These are beacons that are used either for air strikes, for artillery strikes or for landing Russian troops.”
Footage from the device used by Russian sabotage units in Ukraine. The light-emitting object was extracted by Ukrainian forces. These are beacons that are used either for air strikes, for artillery strikes or for landing Russian troops. pic.twitter.com/CrwrpBztDD
– CaucasusWarReport (@Caucasuswar) February 26, 2022
It is reported that the Ukrainian military has now captured several silent, light-emitting beacons from several positions around the capital, believed to be TIs for Russian planes or missiles. Meanwhile, crosshairs are a more old-fashioned approach to target indication – although they are less susceptible to sabotage, jamming and hacking than more technologically advanced methods.
Clouds of smoke are rising from a building caused by a cruise missile, according to local media, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 27, 2022.
Other mysterious markings seem to be visible only under UV light, while other high-tech devices that emit light bursts have been seized by the Ukrainian military.
Although Russia launched a series of air and missile strikes on key strategic locations in Ukraine, there were very few civilian casualties in the early days of the invasion.
That changed over the weekend, when fighting broke out in the streets of several Ukrainian cities, while a Russian rocket caused severe damage to a residential building in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.
Dozens of civilians have now been killed and hundreds injured after Russian missile artillery opened fire on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Kharkiv, which has witnessed some of the war’s worst battles to date, was hit by missiles fired from Russian positions in the early hours of this morning – with a video showing an area around a shopping center in the August region covered in explosions.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been hit hard by indiscriminate Russian artillery and may have been hit by so-called “cluster” munitions, killing dozens of people.
This photo shows a view of a school destroyed in a battle near the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
War in Ukraine, day 5: Russian forces are now trying to bypass Kyiv and encircle it from the west. Troops fighting the Crimea continue to succeed and are likely to surround Mariupol soon, while reaching the outskirts of a key Ukrainian nuclear power plant. Fighting in the east continues to be heavy, with no breakthrough for Putin
Part of a Russian rocket seen on the street in front of a shop in Kharkov, eastern Ukraine, after being bombed by Russian forces
A military source told MailOnline that “cluster” ammunition had been used for a possible war crime.
“BM-21 Grad is a rocket-propelled grenade launcher used to ‘fail a zone’, drop cluster bombs on a concentrated zone,” the expert said.
“It is used mainly against enemy troops before the offensive. Used against civilians, it is not just a war crime, but it has only one goal – to spread terror and anxiety among the civilian population. “
Graphic images and videos then reveal streets littered with the bodies of dead and severely wounded civilians, while other images show spent BM-21 Grad missiles lying on the streets and falling through the roofs of apartments.
This is one of the most serious attacks on civilians since the start of the war five days ago, despite Ukrainian and Russian delegations sitting in Belarus for “peace talks”.
The cities of Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv were also bombed at night, with air raids sounding in other areas.