Ukraine Slams Google Over Google Maps Update Exposing Sensitive Military Locations

Google’s recent map update revealed sensitive locations of Ukrainian defense systems, prompting a response from the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. CCD Head Andrii Kovalenko reported on Telegram that images on Google Maps inadvertently exposed the positions of Ukrainian military assets, a development that Russian sources have quickly circulated online.

Kovalenko highlighted that, following the widespread public response, Google representatives reached out to Ukrainian officials to address the situation. The company reportedly committed to resolving the issue and removing or blurring the images that disclosed the locations of defense systems.

In his statement, Kovalenko noted, “Google is actively working on rectifying the visibility of our military systems. We will also discuss how to respond to any similar issues promptly in the future.”

Previously, in September 2024, the CCD had engaged in discussions with Google, focusing on improving the response time for addressing similar data exposures on its platform. Kovalenko had then assured that these steps would likely deter further information exploitation by propagandists.