Google banned ads from Russian users after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine; Russian authorities accused Google of starting an “information war” when the company blocked Russian media on YouTube. After the tension between Russia and Google, a new move came from the United States-based technology giant today.
According to new information, Google Maps has made Russia’s strategic military facilities visible to users. After this move, new details about Russia’s military infrastructure emerged.
Google Maps made Russia’s strategic military zones visible
In Google Maps searches, military bases all over Russia, intercontinental Images of ballistic missile launch pads, naval facilities and key command points became accessible. Some of the new images that have emerged include the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, a nuclear weapons depot near Murmansk, submarines in the Far Eastern peninsula Kamchatka and a military airbase in the Western city of Kursk, just 150 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Under normal circumstances, satellite images of military installations are traditionally presented to users by Google Maps as blurred or of lower quality, in order to maintain their classified status. However, with this move from the Google wing, this situation has changed.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces shared on Twitter that “Everyone can now see the Russian military infrastructure with a resolution of about 0.5 meters per pixel”.