Military Expert Offers Insights on Phone Calls from the Frontline and Artsakh

Military expert Karen Vrtanesyan has presented several considerations regarding phone calls from the frontline and Artsakh.

“Given that since the beginning of the war, numerous stations of Q-Telecom have fallen into the hands of the enemy, as well as the special technical means available to them, it is important to understand that any conversation within the Artsakh network or from the Artsakh network to RA networks can be intercepted or at least the fact of the call, its time, place, the number from which and to which number, and also which specific phone made the call (each phone has a unique IMEI number for clear identification) can be recorded by the enemy.

What does this mean?

1. The enemy can comfortably record phone gatherings with an accuracy of 10-30 meters. If this is recorded in an unexpected location, for example, in some forest or gorge, it can indicate that there is a concentration of our manpower there, the consequences of which, I believe, you understand.
2. Accordingly, all phones in the squad should always be turned off. To make a call, one must move 2-3 km away from the gathering place before making the call. Moreover, it is preferable for calls to be made with 1-2 phones, not more. And this should be done once every 2-3 days.
3. In general, it would be very good to call one person in Yerevan, and that one person could relay the information to the other members' relatives. Rather than each member of the squad taking turns calling their relatives (in that case, imagine, 30-40 calls can be made daily from the same location, which means there will again be suspicious activity noticed by the enemy).

2. It is only permissible to discuss personal matters over an open line, and it is highly desirable to avoid mentioning names.

3. One cannot speak about where you are, whom you have seen, where you have moved or are planning to move. Discussions about the losses and injuries of your squad are also prohibited.

4. Always remember that essentially, any call made over an open line is not secure. If by some fantastic coincidence there is an internet connection, use Signal or Telegram for communication. However, your conversation should not last more than 2-3 minutes because as soon as you turn on the phone, the fact of connecting to the network, the place, etc. can be recorded by the adversary.

5. There is a myth that old “non-smartphone” phones are more secure. That is not true. The GSM protocol of mobile communication has security issues. Therefore, the only solution is to keep the phone turned off.

Safe travels.