Ukrainians are using a popular Apple feature to find their devices after they were stolen by Russians, and it's helping to map out their retreat in real-time.
Ukrainians have experienced loss and horror amid the tragedy that is Russia's violent invasion. It has displaced many families and left heartbreaking scenes that are truly haunting to see as images spread throughout social media and in the news.
Thefts include technology, allowing Ukrainians to use Apple's 'Find My iPhone' feature to track troop movements.
"Ukrainians are locating their devices on the territory of the Homiel region, Belarus, where part of the Russian army retreated," read a tweet from Franak Viačorka, Senior Advisor to Sviatlana.
Ukrainians are locating their devices on the territory of the Homiel region, Belarus, where part of the Russian army retreated.pic.twitter.com/JsdhltRZ5E— Franak Via\u010dorka (@Franak Via\u010dorka) 1649156280
The replies to this tweet showed that many were shocked at how tech savvy this response has been.
"This reminds me of when people were discovering secret overseas military bases by watching the public data of people’s fitbits. You could usually tell where the fence lines and gate posts were too just from the track data," wrote one person in the comments.
"This is insane 😭 War in the era of social media & advanced tech is a trip," said another.
This is insane War in the era of social media & advanced tech is a triphttps://twitter.com/franakviacorka/status/1511297092836278283\u00a0\u2026— sal (@sal) 1649175495
"When Russians steal your trackable devices, you can find those Russians by tracking those devices! Putin's incompetence is our ally against his evil," read another tweet.
When Russians steal your trackable devices, you can find those Russians by tracking those devices!\n\nPutin's incompetence is our ally against his evil.https://twitter.com/franakviacorka/status/1511297092836278283\u00a0\u2026— Kat 4 Obama (@Kat 4 Obama) 1649179180
Recently, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed western leaders, criticising what he said was delayed action against Russia. “Did hundreds of our people really have to die in agony for some European leaders to finally understand that the Russian state deserves the most severe pressure?” he asked.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.