How radar cameras stolen in Sweden ended up in the war in Ukraine

In Sweden speed cameras, so-called speed cameras, continue to disappear under mysterious circumstances. Namely, unknown criminals break into the boxes lined up by the roadside and steal the built-in devices – Canon digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR).

In a recent report, the Swedish tabloid “Aftonbladet” points to a plausible explanation for what might have happened to the stolen speed cameras: they are installed in Russian reconnaissance drones, which are then used in the war of aggression against Ukraine.

What evidence is there?

The Säpo – the abbreviation stands for Säkerhetspolisen – is the national intelligence service of the Scandinavian country. This is subordinate to the Swedish Ministry of Justice. When asked, a spokesperson for the authority stated that they were “aware of the information circulating about the connection between the thefts along Swedish roads and the homemade Russian drones”. However, one cannot go into detail about these events or talk about the work of the Secret Service.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry recently released a video of a Russian drone that crashed in Ukraine and is being dismantled. As can be seen from the disassembly, the unmanned aircraft contains a Canon camera attached to a steel plate with Velcro fasteners. A PET bottle serves as a fuel tank.

Despite the relatively primitive and amateur construction, such drones have been used successfully to spy on Ukrainian defensive positions.

How often does the phenomenon occur?

About 100 speed cameras have been stolen across the country in recent months, according to the responsible Swedish traffic authority.

Whether or not the speed cameras were sold on to Russia, the material losses are expensive for the Swedish state. Replacing a device costs about 250,000 Swedish crowns – 22,000 francs.

The Russian arms industry is suffering from the economic sanctions imposed by the West, but not from the downside, as several analysts have argued. Despite the sanctions, numerous Western IT components were repeatedly found in Russian weapon systems.

sources

(dsc)