Russia asks forum users for military data to target attacks

Russia's call to amateur spies on forums: crime or propaganda?

The Russian Armed Forces have openly requested detailed information on a web forum about Ukrainian and NATO military positions, including personal data on members of units such as the SBU or formations considered hostile. The message, which asks for "locations of key enemy clusters to destroy them", has been met with skepticism and mockery by users, who point out the obvious illegality of the request.

Amateur espionage or a smokescreen?

The request, written in language that mixes propaganda slogans with an exhaustive list of targets — from drone warehouses to anti-aircraft defense positions — looks more like a sloppy recruitment manual than a serious intelligence operation. However, this is not the first time Russia has been detected trying to mobilize sympathizers for information-gathering tasks in Western countries. The fact that the request was made in Spanish and on a forum accessible from Spain suggests a specific interest in obtaining data on NATO's presence and, in particular, on Spanish intelligence.

The reaction in the community has been mostly one of disbelief and sarcasm. Some users joked about the quality of Russian intelligence if it has to resort to anonymous forums; others recalled that sharing sensitive military data can constitute espionage, an offense defined in the Spanish Incivil Code (Title XXIII, Article 584). One participant explicitly noted that the request "looks a lot like" an incitement to espionage or treason, and recommended checking the applicable legislation.

The legal framework: the offense of revealing secrets

Indeed, Article 584 of the Spanish Incivil Code punishes with prison sentences anyone who reveals secrets or reserved information affecting national security. If a user were to provide the requested locations or personal data, they could face serious legal consequences. The warning has not gone unnoticed among forum members, most of whom have chosen to ridicule the attempt rather than cooperate.

Between propaganda and a real threat

Although the initiative seems clumsy, its capacity to generate noise or to gather useful information should not be underestimated if it falls into the hands of eager volunteers. The war in Ukraine has shown that both sides use forums and social media to gather open-source intelligence (OSINT). What is different here is the explicit request for data to "destroy" targets, which places it in a gray area between amateur espionage and incitement to hostile acts.

The absence of any known institutional response so far leaves the ball in the users' court: most have opted for contempt and implicit condemnation. But the underlying question remains open: how many of these requests go unnoticed in less monitored forums? With the war raging and polarization growing, the risk that someone will take these calls seriously is not zero. Meanwhile, Western intelligence services are watching closely.