Russia: The State Duma has approved a significant amendment to a new law aimed at banning soldiers from carrying smartphones and other specific gadgets while deployed in combat zones, such as Ukraine.

This move follows a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets, which are suspected to have been facilitated by tracking the signal locations or geolocating images shared online.

The most notable incident involved a devastating attack on Russian soldiers' mobile phone signals during a New Year's Eve gathering in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast. The soldiers, stationed in a school, were struck by HIMARS rockets shortly after midnight, just after many had called their families to celebrate the New Year. The volume of simultaneous calls pinpointed their location and revealed a high concentration of troops.

Additionally, Russian opponents have exploited social media posts by Russian soldiers to determine their locations and gather other valuable military intelligence.

If President Vladimir Putin approves the proposed law, it would empower commanders to impose disciplinary arrests of up to 10 days on soldiers. In cases of multiple serious offenses, these arrests could be combined for a maximum of 15 days.

The new regulations would ban military personnel from carrying internet-enabled personal devices, including those capable of filming, recording audio, or transmitting geolocation data. The law also prohibits sharing information about military personnel, conscripts, discharged individuals, and their families that could reveal their locations at specific times.

Furthermore, the law restricts the dissemination of information regarding military management activities, troop movements, and the operations of military units and organizations within the Russian Armed Forces.