Secret symbols seen in Ukraine point to escalation of violence

Strange symbols are springing up throughout Ukraine, with many worried they signal plans for an potential ground assault by Russian military.

Secret symbols are being seen in Ukraine, thought to be placed to help invading Russian troops. Picture: Twitter

Collaborators. Infiltrators. Special forces agents. The signs of a secret war are springing up throughout Ukraine. And erasing them may be a matter of life and death.

Some look like everyday street works marks. Others are invisible except under UV light. Then there are the tiny key lights and radio beacons.

All are designed to guide Russian troops, drones and artillery operators to their targets.

Ukraine’s defence ministry has put out a warning to all citizens: Find them and remove them.

“City officials are urging citizens to immediately report tagged locations, submit photos to law enforcement, and report suspects who may be involved in tagging,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko appealed this morning.

A damaged residential building in Kyiv, after a military shell hit. Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP

As Russian forces struggle to encircle the capital, secret symbols reportedly spring up everywhere.

“In Ukraine, in the capital in particular, the number of detected marks of saboteurs who leave directly on the streets and buildings of both residential buildings and businesses has increased,” Mayor Klitschko says. “Labels are placed to adjust the fire of the occupying forces of the Russian Federation.”

He says Ukrainian collaborators have planted many. And that’s treason.

“The crime is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 12 to 15 years with or without confiscation of property.”

Secret symbols are being seen in Ukraine. Picture: Twitter

Residents are being urged to cover them with dirt. Picture: Twitter

Signs and portents

Unfamiliar marks have been springing up on roads and trees.

Spray-painted tags are being found on roofs.

Public landmarks are stained with invisible signs.

Hooded directional lights blink on high-rise buildings.

“It is believed that some signs have been painted to guide Russian bombers,” the Kyiv Independent news service reports.

Kyiv City administration issues a warning about painted markings on the roofs.

The administration told citizens to check for and obscure any markings on the roofs of their buildings.

It is believed that some signs have been painted to guide Russian bombers.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 25, 2022

Lights tuned to specific coloured frequencies can lead missiles and drones down safe “corridors” to avoid interception or obstacles – such as high-rise buildings. Others placed on the side of a road can indicate which vehicles should go where.

Such a move is vital in Russia’s fast-paced style of war. Getting lost slows things down. GPS signals are likely to be jammed. And radioing for help can attract enemy attention.

Footage of the device that is used by Russian saboteur units in Ukraine. The light emitting object has been retrieved by Ukrainian forces. These are beacons that are used for either airstrikes, artillery strikes or for the landing of Russian troops. pic.twitter.com/CrwrpBztDD

— CaucasusWarReport (@Caucasuswar) February 26, 2022

Other devices are more sinister. They act as homing beacons, allowing enemy weapons to pinpoint a specific target silently.

Ukraine authorities say small transmitters are appearing on significant intersections and infrastructure facilities.

Other markers appear to be small reflective tags. But their effect may be similar to that of an aircraft’s transponder – reflecting and amplifying any radar pulse that hits it to stand out among the clutter.

Small reflective tags are being found around Ukraine. Picture: Twitter

Call to arms

Police in the city of Lviv urged residents who owned blacklight or UV lights to use them to find fluorescent paint. These were “used by Russian agents who have infiltrated the city to direct missile strikes,” they said.

It’s a similar story in the capital.

Kyiv residents have been using social media to report suspicious activity. Footage of people appearing to place marker pins and UV signs is being circulated.

Увага! Диверсанти розставили по місту багато міток. Зокрема, балістичних. А сьогодні кияни зняли на телефон, як мітять газові труби на житлових будинках. Будьте пильними! Як тільки бачите таке, - одразу звертайтеся в поліцію! pic.twitter.com/J128Tf1Fih

— Аслан (@antiputler_news) February 26, 2022

Ukrainian authorities have responded by imposing a brutal curfew on the city. Last night, any person on the streets after 5pm was assumed to be a hostile agent.

It’s a deadly, dangerous scenario.

There are unconfirmed reports of “friendly fire” incidents against both civilians and military units.

Meanwhile, explosions continue to rock the capital as Russian forces shift tactics. An oil refinery has been hit and is burning fiercely on the city’s edge. Reports indicate airfields are again being targeted. Some 500 tanks are leading columns of Russian troops in a fresh assault on the city’s outskirts.

A man clears debris at a damaged apartment building in the Ukraine capital Kyiv. Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP

Such secret signs may also be a preparation for a ground assault.

Military analysts suggest some markers may be there to define lines of advance, strategic locations, civilian supporters – and “safe” routes to follow through the city streets.

Authorities are urging Ukrainian citizens to cover such markings with dirt or paint. Reflective tags are to be ripped off, and electronic beacons smashed.

UKR Ministry of Defense says these are artillery fire locator beacons that Russian forces drop at crossroads and near troop concentrations. If you find one. Smash it. pic.twitter.com/hA3Hxmm93V

— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) February 26, 2022

Urban nightmare

The pressure is on for Moscow to achieve a quick victory. Days of unexpectedly high Ukrainian resistance is causing an unacceptably high cost in troop lives, morale and equipment.

And that, say some analysts, may mean Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken his gloves off.

Rippling explosions from barrages of rocket fire and cluster munitions are strobing Kyiv’s night sky. Seizing the capital remains the most likely way of ending the war fast.

“The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods. Saboteurs have already entered Kyiv,” mayor Vitali Klitschko said yesterday.

Ukraine’s defence ministry called on Kyiv residents to “make Molotov cocktails, neutralise the occupier”.

Defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said some 18,000 guns were to be handed out among the populace.

An armed civilian volunteer in Kyiv. Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP

But residents are being told to stay inside to avoid being confused with infiltrators.

“Going outside is very dangerous now due to the approach of the enemy,” Kyiv’s city council said in a statement.

Ukrainian forces have destroyed city bridges and highway overpasses to slow the Russian advance. Special forces troops have been fighting for days to control the city’s small Hostomel Airport in the city’s northeast.

Failure to secure the site caused Russia to abandon plans to fly in an invasion force on Friday.