04/07/2024 – Translated from Ukrainian via Google and OFP
The DeepState combat map is by far the most popular source of information about the current situation at the front. This project actively cooperates with the military, with evacuation services, with the State Emergency Service, and, more recently, officially with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Considering the specifics of the project, is it possible to assume that there are actually two maps – one that is updated with a delay, and one that is as up-to-date as possible? No, in fact, the card is “one for everyone.”
However, it has closed functionality that is not available to ordinary users. Sometimes some parts of the map are not updated if Ukrainian defenders request this for security reasons. The co-founder of the DeepState project, analyst Roman Pogorely , spoke about this in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA.
– On March 13, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation with DeepState . It was believed that you had been cooperating for a long time, but it turns out that it was only a matter of weeks. Why was there a need to sign such a document? What responsibilities does this memorandum impose on DeepState ?
– Yes you are right. We had cooperation, but unofficially. We established contacts, the minister and the Ministry of Defense as a whole began to use our card. For example, on social network X there were posts for the minister’s colleagues from other countries to show the counter-offensive, how it was progressing, to show our successes. We were recognized with awards. This is how this acquaintance began.
And then they decided to sign the memorandum officially. This will allow us to cooperate in some areas. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the details. But in general, the first and most important thing I want to note is that this cooperation does not at all affect our work or the markings on the map.
That is, no one specifies, no one prohibits, no one buys. Today, our society, unfortunately, is accustomed to thinking like this: when a public sector appears in the private sector, some kind of pressure immediately occurs – they bought it, crushed it, banned it, they call the shots… No.
We are developing. The country is striving for modern implementations. Cooperation between the public and private sectors has long been developed abroad, and this is just one such example in our country.
We signed a memorandum of cooperation, but we remain as independent and will remain so. There are just certain points where we have common ground in our work. It is aimed exclusively at helping our Armed Forces.
I will add that this proves that we are needed, useful and on the right path.
– Is it true that there are at least two DeepState maps – one, the most relevant, for the Ministry of Defense, the other, less relevant, for other users?
– No, that’s not true. There is only one card, the one that everyone uses now. There are certain closed functionalities for military personnel, exclusively for them, which to a certain extent also help them. We are developing an OSINT system. This is a little different, not a map. And this is essentially a separate project.
But there is one card for everyone. There are no divisions happening there other than the one I mentioned.
– But the map is updated with a delay of several days, isn’t it? This is stated in the warning that every reader sees as soon as he enters the site. That’s why I asked about two cards.
– We have a disclaimer, which we will most likely remove. Previously, we urged people not to lay out routes, not to use them for any dynamic purposes, because the battle line is so… There is no map in the world, absolutely not one, showing the current situation second by second. This is unrealistic. That is, some zone is safe now, but in a second it can turn into dangerous.
Accordingly, we encouraged people not to use any vital points. But they are used by the military. As you know, our card is used in the professional work of the State Emergency Service, evacuation services and other organizations. Here we have a colossal level of responsibility. There is nothing we can do, just work and that’s it.
As for the relevance of the map… We put what is possible on the map immediately, promptly. But there are times when it is necessary to detain – the fighters ask for this. If there is an understanding that this will create a danger for military personnel, and they are a priority for us, their safety and lives, then in this case this is not even discussed, we can delay updating the map.
As for the map update, which occurs once a day, the information that was collected throughout the day is analyzed and verified. Such designations are applied depending on the situation and developments.
So our map is used at different levels and in different places. The military personnel told us that we have 95% similarities with the situation.
Read also the first part of the interview with Roman Pogorely about the situation at the front.