What undoubtedly helps the Ukrainians in an effective fight against the more numerous Russians is also the advantage of information. Ukrainian commanders know better where their sub-units are and where the enemy forces are and in what quantity. This knowledge is mainly the result of previous war preparation activities, in connection with which, among other things, own information collection and processing system “Delta”.

The main task of “Delta” is to increase the situational awareness of Ukrainian commanders. For this purpose, data on own and enemy forces are entered into a system, which determines not only their position, but also their numbers and combat capabilities. Moreover, this information is broken, permanently supplemented, thanks to the data obtained by the own reconnaissance and intelligence, as well as provided by the combat sub-units.

Based on this information, a recognized picture of the tactical situation is created on a digital map, which can be viewed on any computer, tactical tablet or even a mobile phone. This makes it easier for commanders to plan and conduct operations, allows them to coordinate activities with other units, and gives them the ability to better manage available forces so that they are used as effectively as possible with full support during the war. fight.

Importantly, the “Delta” system organized in this way was developed in Ukraine. The project was started in 2015 by volunteers from the well-known public organization “Aerorozwidka” and already in 2016 they presented a prototype of a solution combining system video surveillance with an electronic card system. In 2017, the property rights were transferred to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and since 2022 “Delta” has been developed by the Defense Technology Development and Innovation Center of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

When creating this system, the Ukrainians saw in the long term that the picture of the tactical situation is created according to NATO standards, so it will also be understandable to NATO specialists and, according to the creators, “is compatible with similar solutions used by the armies of the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance.

“Delta” is an excellent example of how Ukraine and NATO can cooperate, develop and derive mutual benefit. Ukraine is striving to become an integral part of the organization. Our army already applies the latest NATO standards. But more importantly, we are testing and implementing new standards for NATO. Ukraine is the best training ground because we have the opportunity to test all assumptions in combat and bring revolutionary changes to military technology and modern warfare. And I believe that in partnership with NATO countries, especially in the development of technological capabilities, we will quickly obtain a well-deserved victory.

Mykhailo Fedorov – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

“Delta” is a constantly evolving system. This year alone, more than thirty new functions have been launched, “so that the program best meets the conditions of network-centric warfare and the needs of the military for obtaining current and verified information. data about the enemy.” It is known, for example, that chatbots developed by the Ukrainian security service (“STOP Russian War”) and the Ministry of Digital Transformation (“eWorog”) have been integrated into “Delta” .

Attacks by Russian hackers

Aware of the importance of the data entered by Ukrainians in the “Delta”, Russian hackers have long been trying to break into it and disrupt its operation. One such attack in August 2022 ended in partial success, which was reported with satisfaction by the Russian media November 1, 2022. The Russians, however, did not admit to the hack by a war cell of the organized information, but put the blame on a certain “Joker”.

By the way, the Russians, as usual, misled everyone, saying that when they get to the “Delta”, the Russian special services “know everything about the enemy: both where he is finds and what he knows about our forces, our means and their location.” The truth, however, turned out to be much more complicated.

The attack was in fact carried out by phishing, a “primitive” but often effective method of hacking phones and computers. This method consists of sending messages to private emails or social networks with links, including the click automatically activates an antivirus program. which mainly steals the passwords used by the user.

Although the Ukrainian army is trained in security procedures, in two cases the attack was successful. Two servicemen from the Kharkov and Kryvyi Rih regions failed. The Russians, provided with their passwords, thus reach “Delta”, but with restrictions: the Ukrainian data processing specialists ensure that the individuals have access only to the data which relate to them.

Unauthorized entry into the system was noticed very quickly, and according to the Ukrainians, Russian hackers were inside a certain part of it for about thirteen minutes. The mere fact that, in relation to part of the front, the Russians learned about the location of the troops was practically not a problem. The situation on the southern front at that time was very dynamic, and these data quickly became outdated.

Much more dangerous was that the Russians learned about the structure of the Ukrainian system and partly its capabilities. Paradoxically, this also had a positive effect. The Russian military was able to compare their solutions of this type with those of Ukraine and saw that they were far behind in this area. The very fact that there are cases of the Russians firing on their own sub-units and the Ukrainians being able to carry out a strike covertly proves that the situational awareness of the Russian commanders is not the best.

This does not change the fact that the Ukrainian counterintelligence very meticulously dealt with people who were negligent and thus allowed the “Delta” intruders. Information about the attack only came to light days after the “Delta” was presented to NATO specialists at the NATO TIDE Sprint Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia in the United States.

In this way, the Russians tried to show that this system had flaws, was transparent to them and could be hacked without problems. The problem is that their “free access” in no way translated: both in countering the offensive in northern Ukraine in the Kharkov region, and later in recapturing the entire area on the shore west of the Dnieper

Remember that NATO TIDE Sprint is a closed event that takes place twice a year in the United States and Europe. During this conference, experts, scientists and programmers from more than 30 countries around the world (including Poland) have the opportunity to share their experiences and solutions, which is to help ia in the development of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.