Russian tourist in swimming trunks accidentally gives away position of artillery to Ukraine

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has said a tourist in his swimming trunks gave away the position of Russian artillery with his holiday pictures.

It's almost six months since Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine for an invasion which has left thousands dead and millions forced to flee their homes.

Putin may have hoped for a quick victory, but Russia has found Ukrainian defences too tough to sweep aside and the conflict has become bogged down.

There are many reasons for this, with a former Russian soldier claiming among them is that Putin's invasion force has ill-fitting uniforms, poor quality weaponry and outdated tactics.

Kremlin Pool/Alamy Stock Photo

Some of the less sane explanations include Russian politicians claiming Ukraine has developed an army of super soldiers, because if you're so deluded as to invade a neighbouring country for completely jumped-up reasons you might as well entirely give up on sanity.

One of the key reasons is because the Ukrainian military has done such a good job on the information warfare front, able to pinpoint Russian troops and vehicles to know where the enemy is.

Even before the information, the whole world knew about the build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border - making Putin's invasion plans clear to all.

Of course, there are times when all the intelligence gathering in the world is completely surpassed by a tourist in his swimming trunks posting holiday pictures of himself standing next to Russian artillery.

Pictures of the Russian tourist posing next to military vehicles near the Crimean city of Yevpatoria were a great help in allowing Ukrainian intelligence services to pinpoint the exact locations of Russia's air defence equipment.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence even thanked the man, telling the tourist to 'keep up the good work' in giving away Russian positions.

The Russian appointed governor of Sevastopol asked tourists to take less photos, especially ones including military deployments in them.

They also told people that if they must take pictures and videos to at least not to give away the location.

Since the very beginning of the invasion Putin has overestimated Russia's military capabilities and underestimated what Ukraine can do to stop him.

High-profile blunders like Russian troops accidentally turning their flamethrowers on their own side probably haven't helped Putin's invasion either.

Here's hoping Putin's failure to conquer Ukraine, helped in small part by a bloke in his swimming trunks posting holiday pictures, continues to be the case.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information 

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