Hot off the interwebz – new photos and our thoughts on Russian comms

We track a number of partisan channels on both sides of this conflict. This morning, we may have encountered the “magic Russian crypto phone” that has been discussed elsewhere. Here’s our very rapid analysis.

The photo below clearly shows combat communications devices which can be described as “combat cell phones,” but their capabilities go far beyond that.

Caveat #1: Given the constant reuse of photos, we can’t say for sure these were captured from Russian forces yesterday, but that appears to be the case. The radio units shown are clearly not the same radio discussed previously, as that one was in pristine condition.

We also think this is a good candidate for what has previously been described as the magic “Russian Era crypto phone” that “doesn’t work.” (We should immediately say that nothing in that prior analysis makes sense.)

We believe the handheld radios in the photo below to be R-187-P1E units (or a closely related one). RUSI published an exceptional analysis on that specific radio, Russian Comms in Ukraine: A World of Hertz.

Our research indicates additional capabilities of this radio not discussed in that article.

One of the main takeaways we have from the photo below is that these units have definitely seen extensive use in the field. Whatever anyone wants to conclude about these particular radios, let me say they absolutely work, because NO ONE carries non-functional gear around a battlefield. The mere fact that these units are beat to hell means that they work and offer at least communications security (distinct from secure communications). The fact that there are multiple matching units is also a strong indication that they are being used extensively. If they weren’t working and had just been abandoned, we wouldn’t expect to see a matching set. Plus, we can see other captured equipment in the photo.

By communications security, we mean the ability to “phone home” via some communications path. Many times (most times), this means the use of a known insecure path. In contrast, by secure communications, we mean the ability to communicate without the channel being immediately listened to by others. That is further distinct from covert communications, which adds a hidden path. Radios, by their very nature of broadcasting on RF are almost never covert, because it's easy to geolocate their origin signal (and we might know something about that ; )

Rotating and enlarging the photo:

Additional things we can deduce: The telephone icons mean it probably has cellular capability, although these icons are now common on many radio systems because they’ve become universal icons everyone is familiar with. Although the RUSI article does not discuss this, we have found a different spec sheet which does state that this unit can be used as a cell phone. If that is the case, then perhaps this is the source of the confusion on “Russian troops using cell phones.” We’d love to see the back of these radios to see if there’s a SIM slot anywhere. We suspect that there is, but we haven’t seen a single photo of the back of one of these to confirm that.

Tellingly, the “#” key includes a key icon. This could mean the device uses a simple PIN code to unlock it, but it’s more likely to be a key specific to enabling encrypted communications. Maybe this is confirmation bias, but to us, it sure looks like that key shows more wear than the others. That would indicate regular use of encryption or at least regular attempts to make use of whatever encrypted features the device has.

Caveat #2: Based on our research, this is an R-187-P1E or an earlier version of that current device. For more than a decade, radios like this have been based on firmware that determines their capabilities. It’s quite easy to update them to include new frequencies, new data protocols, new encryption protocols, and new communication protocols, including new codecs. These specific radios may be an earlier build or they may be the brand new version. Just because these particular units have seen rough use use does NOT mean they’re not running the most recent firmware. It’s entirely possible these are part of the Era crypto system or some other encryption system.

We should note that most military and civilian radios with similar features are known to gobble power. The spec sheets on this unit rates them at 4 watts. Based on the size of the battery shown, we estimate they’ll last about 8 hours in best-case conditions. This is why using these radios as cell phones is advantageous. Such use would increase the battery life by at least double – and possibly even an order of magnitude, because it draws a LOT less power. Even within cellular systems, there are massive differences in battery life between 2G, 3G, and 4G. If power is in short supply on the front lines, you want to run 2G and provide your own low-bandwidth encryption solution to stretch your battery life.

Specific to the use of these radios, we note that one of them is missing the radio antenna. This could be an indication it is being used exclusively as a “battlefield cell phone,” since the big, floppy antenna is probably not part of that aspect of the device. We note that there’s a separate short, black piece to the left of the BNC connector. We suspect that houses cellular and navigational antennas, but since we don’t have one of these in our possession to test, that is speculation.

Previously, the “Russian crypto phone that doesn’t work” has been called the “Era” system. Others have claimed this is a brand-new system, but that claim appears to be based on a single news article in Tass, more correctly described as a press release. It’s entirely possible that these radios are part of the system.

Finally, in conclusion, we agree with the analysis provided by RUSI. It’s hard to believe that Russian troops would begin any operation without working communications systems. The condition of these radios is a clear indication that Russia’s troops do have working comms. They may lack communications discipline (likely), and they may be struggling with secure communications, but they clearly have working radios.

If anyone wants to send us the manual or one of these we’d love to give a detailed analysis of the entire system.

FIN