The SSU investigators established that some of the russian commanders who invaded our territory in February were guided by topographic maps of Ukraine of 1969. This is evidenced by documents that the SSU seized in the districts of Kharkiv region that were temporarily occupied by ruscists.

For example, the data on the documents of russian motorized rifle battalion of the 138th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade have not been updated for at least 53 years.

The occupiers’ maps do not show Saltivskyi housing estate of Kharkov, which has been built since early 1970s. The Travyanske and Muromske water reservoirs, built in the 70s, are also absent from these maps. And the state border between Ukraine and russia is drawn with a ballpoint pen, since it was not on the maps at all.

And although the maps have modern registration numbers and even a classification label, on closer inspection one can see that they were made in 1969.

It is known that the Topographical Service of russia’s Western Military District, headed by colonel Oleksiy Krasnov, and russia’s Geospatial Information and Navigation Center were responsible for navigational support of this motorized rifle battalion.

On the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these units celebrated the 210th anniversary of russia’s topographical service and declared that they were providing the russian military commanders with ‘state-of-the-art maps’ produced using ‘the latest mobile navigation and geodesic complexes.’

Nevertheless, russia’s the 138th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, which used these maps, was destroyed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in late March near Kharkiv ring road in Starosaltivsk direction.