AFU disbanding IT units, DELTA's work under threat - military-itisers

Under the condition of anonymity, Ukrainian Armed Forces (VSU) servicemen reported the "collapse" of two specialized IT units and the threat to DELTA and other related projects. This was reported by Hromadske, with the information confirmed by the intelligence community InformNapalm, as well as MP Maryana Bezuhla.

According to the servicemen, the two specialized units, composed of experienced representatives from IT companies, were established at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Their mission was to develop systems for situational awareness and intelligence. Many of the military had combat experience and were familiar with real issues. Currently, the systems that have been developed, including DELTA, are used by "all the structures present in our country" and "over three hundred connected units."

Almost immediately after the leadership change in the VSU at the beginning of 2024, a ban was imposed on the use of DELTA, which was integrated with systems developed by these units. However, the decision was reversed following complaints from the Minister of Defense and Ukraine's military partners abroad. In return, the actual disbandment of the development units began.

This started with inspections from various state bodies, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and others. The military was not informed about the results of the inspections, but they report a "positive" outcome. However, even before the inspections were completed, 150 individuals from one of the units were transferred to one of the brigades. The military states that the transfers were random:

"A person with 5 years of experience in special operations was ordered to transfer to a diesel mechanic; a person without a driving license was supposed to operate a BMP. Pure randomness."

Later, the servicemen were informed that there had been a mistake and the order would not be executed. They found themselves in a "suspended" state for four months, two of which they received their previous salary, and afterward only 1,500-2,000 UAH. The second order outlined transfers to various units rather than just one. When the inspections concluded, another order arrived — for disbandment. The transfers continued to be delayed.

The second IT unit was also set to be disbanded, but the decision was changed to downsizing. The military personnel who were seconded to these two specialized units returned to their previous places of service.

"In effect, people worked for 8-9 months on highly sensitive intelligence projects. They know the architecture, the data sources, where we pull this from, and how it all works. If this person is captured, it essentially nullifies all the work we've done. The consequences could be dire for everyone... It took us three months to eventually persuade them to send these people back to us."

While the transfer saga unfolded, the projects developed by them were put on hold. According to the authors, these systems cannot "exist in the air" and require constant maintenance. The Ministry of Defense is ready to provide cloud infrastructure for these systems; meanwhile, cloud hosting is covered by donors. Other organizations within the Ukrainian Defense Forces are willing to take the specialists and the project, but the VSU is not agreeing to this.

In the current situation, the military IT specialists continue to address critical requests from the projects. However, requests for additional units to join the systems are not being accepted due to a lack of capacity for maintenance. The military states that they have avoided publicizing the problem until the last moment due to the sensitivity of the information for the enemy.

The international intelligence community InformNapalm confirmed the disclosed information. It is asserted that the situation described regarding the projects and IT specialists is not an exaggeration.

"Indeed, after the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi (which was, in fact, pushed by none other than Maryana Bezuhla), processes began that led, if not to sabotage, then to the degradation of the innovation and IT development system. We personally know some IT specialists who worked in the mentioned disbanded units, and we can confirm that the situation described in the article is indeed real and not fabricated. Unfortunately."

Thus, the situation seems serious; the military warns that further delays may lead to the cessation of the systems’ operations. Hromadske reached out to the General Staff of the VSU and the Ministry of Defense for comments.

https://itc.ua/articles/prevrashhaet-haotychnye-dannye-v-tsely-dlya-vsu-kak-kyevskye-aktyvysty-sozdaly-analytycheskuyu-systemu-griselda/