SBU reported 75 verdicts for publishing data on air defense and military

Since the beginning of 2025, 75 people in Ukraine have received court verdicts for the illegal distribution of photos and videos disclosing information about the location of Ukrainian military personnel, the operation of air defense, and the consequences of Russian attacks.

The Security Service of Ukraine reported this on October 19. According to the agency, law enforcement officers systematically detect such publications and identify their authors.

The materials in question contain information about the deployment and movement of units of the Defense Forces, the location and operation of air defense means, as well as the results of strikes on ground targets and aerial targets.

The SBU warns that the dissemination of such information may allow the Russian military to refine the results of attacks, determine the location of Ukrainian defense facilities, and prepare repeated strikes.

Three more individuals exposed in Kyiv

During the past week, SBU officers identified three local residents in Kyiv who, according to the investigation, published information about the positions of Ukrainian air defense.

All three have been notified of suspicion under Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for liability for unauthorized dissemination of information about the Armed Forces and other military formations.

The suspects face up to eight years of imprisonment. However, their guilt has not yet been established by a court.

For which publications criminal liability is provided

Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for punishment for the dissemination during martial law or a state of emergency of certain information about the movement of weapons, military equipment, and the deployment of Ukrainian army units.

In particular, criminal liability is provided for the publication of information about the location or movement of military units, if this information allows them to be identified on the ground and has not previously been officially made public by authorized state bodies.

Depending on the circumstances of the violation, the punishment may range from three to eight years of imprisonment. With qualifying circumstances provided for by part three of the article, the term may reach 12 years.

At the same time, not every publication of a photo of the consequences of a shelling automatically constitutes a criminal offense. The legal assessment depends on the content of the disseminated information and the presence of the signs of violation provided for by law.

SBU warned Ukrainians about the danger of publications

The special service urges citizens not to film or distribute materials that may reveal the operation of air defense, the location of military facilities, the movement of equipment and personnel of the Defense Forces.

Law enforcement officers pay special attention to the publication of information about the consequences of Russian strikes on military facilities and critical infrastructure.

The SBU emphasizes that such materials may be used by the Russian military to adjust subsequent attacks. In addition, published photos and video recordings may become a tool of Russian propaganda.

Citizens who are aware of such violations or recruitment attempts are urged to report information to the SBU at 1516, email 1516@ssu.gov.ua, or through the official chatbot "Spaly FSBshnyka".

Based on materials: Security Service of Ukraine, Criminal Code of Ukraine.