The State Duma approved an amendment to a new law that would make it a serious disciplinary offence for soldiers to carry smartphones and other certain gadgets while serving in combat zones such as Ukraine.

This decision comes after several Ukrainian attacks on military targets, which are believed to have been identified through tracking signal locations or geolocating photographs published online.

In the most notorious case of an attack on Russian soldiers targeting their mobile phone signals, hundreds of Russian soldiers were killed at a New Year's Eve party in Makiivka, in the Donetsk Oblast. The soldiers, who were billeted in a school, were targeted by HIMARS rockets and killed shortly after midnight just after many of the soldiers called home to wish their loved ones a happy New Year. The multitude of simultaneous calls identified their location and the fact there was a large concentration of soldiers.

Russia's opponents have also used Russian soldiers’ postings on social media to geolocate the position of troops and gain other useful military intelligence about the strength and locations of the Russian forces.

If President Vladimir Putin signs the newly proposed law, it would grant commanders increased authority to impose disciplinary arrests on soldiers for up to 10 days. In cases involving multiple serious disciplinary offences, these periods of disciplinary arrest could be partially or fully combined for up to 15 days.

According to the proposals, military personnel will be prohibited from carrying internet-enabled personal devices. These devices, defined by the law as electronic equipment intended for "household purposes," include any that can film, record audio, or transmit geolocation information.

The law also forbids sharing information about other military personnel, conscripts, those discharged from military service, as well as their family members. This includes any details that could “determine the location of these individuals during a specific period to other persons.”

This also applies to information regarding the activities of military management bodies, other troops, military units, and agencies, as well as the activities of associations, units, and organisations within the Russian Armed Forces or other military entities. This includes details about the deployment or redeployment of troops and units.