‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ report uses geolocation techniques to reveal extent of Russian troops in Ukraine

VLADIMIR Putin has vehemently denied that Russian troops are up to no good. But these photos tell a very different story.

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THEY creep across the border under the cover of darkness, with no clue to their contents except the mysterious “Cargo 200” on the outside.

But rather than the purported humanitarian supplies, the unmarked trucks are full of zinc coffins — casualties of a war Russia is not meant to be fighting.

The hidden bodies are one part of a vast and secretive operation along the Ukrainian border where plainclothes soldiers and sprawling cities of tents have become the base for Russian activity in Ukraine.

Now the full extent of the operation has been revealed in a new report Hiding in Plain Sight: Putin’s War in Ukraine, written by a team including Eliot Higgins, who pioneered geolocation techniques to find the BUK missile that likely shot down MH17 last July.

The report uses freely available information like social media selfies and satellite images to create an “overwhelming and indisputable” picture of what is really happening on the ground. It will be presented to members of the European Union today at an Atlantic Council conference in Poland and hopes to reframe the way policy makers approach President Putin.

Bellingcat citizen journalist Eliot Higgins is one of the authors of the report, which shows the extent of what Russia has been up to in the Ukraine.

“Once you use those methodologies … you can see a very clear and undeniable picture of what is going on in Ukraine,” said co-author Maksymilian Czuperski, who works as special assistant to the President of the Atlantic Council.

While the findings have long been suspected by the international community, he was shocked at how easy it was to build up a clear picture using the information — including selfies soldiers had taken with puppies and used as their profile pictures — providing a clear trail of Russian activity in the area.

“We weren’t surprised by the results because everyone who is dealing with the topic is aware of what is going on. What we have been surprised by is how clear the picture is being made by social media — by ordinary citizens capturing convoys — it gives you so many vantage points to a story that it complements each other in a such an overwhelmingly way.”

The report found Russian soldiers have been ordered to conceal their uniforms and insignia, with a variety of Russian manufactured weapons found in Ukraine territory — where President Putin has previously denied his forces have been.

“All the information in this report is publicly accessible — clear evidence of Mr. Putin’s war is literally hiding in plain sight. In the twenty-first century, secret wars can only be fought for so long. It is time for this one to end,” it states.

The Kuzminsky camp pictured in October 2013 at left and October 2014 at right, shows the amount of military equipment that has been moved to the area.

The findings are backed by political heavyweights including former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt. Former US Under Secretary of State and Former US Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns is also listed as a supporter along with former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kashyanov and chairman of the Human Rights Foundation Garry Kasparov.

Mr Czuperski said the accessibility of such information has created a “game-changing moment in history” where anyone with an internet connection can create a “crystal clear” picture of what is happening in any given place.

“This is the moment where intelligence is crowd sourced. It’s a game changer. We haven’t seen this. If you look back at Iraq we have to rely on what big intelligence sources were saying,” he said, adding that now “It’s much more rapid, much more educated … It holds more people accountable.”

It’s estimated the war in Ukraine has led to the death of 6200 people so far with around 1.2 million people displaced. A Russian non-governmental organisation also estimates 273 Russian soldiers have died with many carried home via the Cargo 200 unmarked vehicles.

The Atlantic Council is now calling for greater intelligence sharing and funding to “offset the impact of Moscow’s propaganda”. Mr Czuperski said they also want to highlight the innovative approach to policymakers.

“It’s a Kremlin manufactured war not a civil war. We want to have a more honest debate about what is going on so we can have a more honest solution,” he said.

The Kremlin has denied allegations it is sending people to fight with separatists in Ukraine, with Putin saying “outright and unequivocally there are no Russian troops in Ukraine.”