Kathrine Frich
The channel contained links to official video conferences for commanders and political officers.
We all have group chats for work where we share schedules and passwords.
But when your job involves running a massive military campaign, making that chat public is a terrible idea. For nearly a year, a major army unit did exactly that.
Open secrets
Soldiers from the Russian 143rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment ran an open Telegram chat for almost a year. The group had a highly unprofessional name, translating roughly to “f organization”.
Independent Russian outlet Astra cited by Meduza discovered the chat and the massive trove of sensitive military data inside. The channel contained links to official video conferences for commanders and political officers.
The leaked files included login details, passwords, and two-factor authentication keys for live drone video streams. Soldiers also posted code names used for rivers in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions during audio communications.
Drones and decoys
Astra found orders from the 5th Army headquarters detailing heavy losses among assault units due to poor supplies. A separate order instructed troops to equip automated supply carts with Starlink terminals.
Other secret documents ordered troops to build fake military objects to trick Ukrainian intelligence. The command also demanded psychological operations, including regular drops of propaganda leaflets onto enemy positions.
The channel regularly posted plans for fake radio broadcasts designed to confuse enemy forces. Astra noted that leaking these plans in a public forum completely ruined the deception.
Shutting it down
In late April 2026, a group administrator finally noticed strangers joining the public chat. This sparked a sudden panic over digital safety within the unit.
“Who is adding, who are they? For what purpose are they here? Then incomprehensible stories begin with leaking data, hacked accounts. Security above all,” the owner wrote, according to Astra.
The group stopped posting completely by early May. The Russian defense ministry has not officially commented on the massive data breach.
The fallout
Following the report, a Russian military blogger known as Ugolniy iz doma claimed that inspectors had arrived to investigate the unit. He urged officials not to punish the soldiers too harshly.
The blogger admitted that using commercial messaging apps is a sad reality for the military. He noted that troops have to rely on them until a dedicated secure platform exists.
Despite the massive security failure, the blogger found humor in the situation. “But these are my heroes: there is no better name for a staff chat than ‘Fucking organization’,” he wrote.
Sources: Astra, Ugolniy iz doma, Meduza
