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01st Mar 2022

Mysterious symbols appear on Ukraine buildings ‘as target clues for Russian invaders’

Kieran Galpin

‘If any symbols are found, please cover them up with dirt or something else’

Eeerie symbols have appeared on Ukrainian buildings, with experts believing that they are the work of Kremlin operatives tagging buildings as targets.

Ukrainian officials are urging citizens to keep an eye out for the symbols which tend to look like bright red X’s like those seen on a treasure map. The symbols have been spotted on everything from residential buildings to gas pipes, in scenes not dissimilar to Russians tagging their own vehicles last week.

Symbols

“The city authorities are asking the residents of high-rise buildings, who have access to the roof access, to urgently check the roofs for signs,” Kyiv, the country’s capital, wrote on Facebook. “If any marks are found, please cover them with earth or cover them with something.”

Alexander Tretyak, the mayor of the western town Rivne, also urged residents to keep a lookout.

Posting to Facebook, he wrote: “URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT! I ask the heads of condominiums to close all attics. If you or the occupants of the house notice in the entrance, on the roof, near the houses of unknown persons, the mark of the label – immediately inform law enforcement.”

https://twitter.com/TheTechSon1/status/1498602878163984389

He added: “URGENTLY inspect your roofs, in case you find marks, paint them and close the access to the roofs.”

A Kyiv resident told the Australian Associated Press that people are eager to uncover the meaning of such symbols, while also looking to weed out infiltrators. They said: “Many people are walking around the streets, even children, looking for these marks,” Anastasia Russo, 25, told the Australian Associated Press. “We are doing everything we can to cover them.”

On Friday, Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (DSSZZI) posted a warning of similar symbols in the nation’s capital. They added that some symbols are being drawn in UV paint, meaning they are not visible to the naked eye.

Social media

DSSZZI implored people to check the roofs of their buildings, reports the Mail Online. “If any symbols are found, please cover them up with dirt or something else,” officials urged.

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