A camera was found in front of a house. It was located inside a black box, on the roof of a restaurant located in front of the house.
A camera and a microphone were found on a bike. They were hidden under the bike seat, inside a container resembling a tool kit. The device consisted of a main unit connected to a camera, a microphone, a battery (Li-ion, 3.7 V, 60 Wh, 16.0 Ah), a modem (EM7565 Sierra Wireless), a SIM card, a GSM antenna and a 4G antenna (Antenova SR4L002). The camera pointed outwards through a very small hole and was directed at the entrance of the building under surveillance — it was impossible to identify it with the naked eye. A few minutes after the device was spotted and removed, the suspected spies came to retrieve the bike.
Two cameras were found in the streets. Each was in a box attached to an electric pole. They were able to film the entrances and surroundings of the buildings under surveillance. They were present — possibly on and off — since 2019. After the discovery of the first camera, the second one was removed, presumably by the State intelligence services.
A camera was found outside, pointed towards a house. It was barely emerging from the ground and was covered with brambles and grass. It was connected to a “Pepwave” router and to two cases containing lithium batteries labeled “Accuwatt”, hidden in a ditch, under a tarp and a camouflage net.
The batteries were marketed by the company Accuwatt, specialized in batteries for law enforcement and the military.
Three surveillance cameras were found overlooking a restaurant. They were buried in a hill at a certain distance from the restaurant. They included a transmitter and a battery pack.
A listening device was found outside. It was disguised as a rock. It contained two microphones.
A surveillance device was found inside the smartphone of the campaign manager of a Russian anti-corruption activist. It included a SIM card, a microphone, a GPS tracker, and a microcircuit to amplify the radio signal. Some of the phone components were modified to make room for the surveillance device. The device was installed when the owner of the phone was in custody and her phone confiscated. The device was probably installed by the FSB (“Federal security service”).
Four cameras were found outside a large area where people lived. They were hidden near an access gate to the area, camouflaged in a fake tree log and fake stones. They filmed continuously and were connected, via buried cables, to large batteries and concealed modems. The mention “Allwan” was visible on a label on a camera. The cameras were found on August 31, and appeared to have been installed right before a event organized in the area on August 29 and 30.
The mention “Allwan”, visible on a label on a camera, suggests that the cameras were supplied by the French company Allwan Security.
A surveillance device capable of recording images and sound was found during a gathering in front of a jail. It was located behind a few stones, in a wall along a path, wrapped in a black garbage bag. It was not the first time that a gathering took place there. The device contained a battery, a SD card, a microphone, and a camera hidden behind a rock in which a hole had been made. It seemed that the device couldn't send the recorded data, which was stored on the SD card. An analysis of the content of the SD card showed that the device was activated on June 3 and was installed on the afternoon of June 7, the day before the gathering.
The pictures of the device show that the device included a digital video recorder of model “DK-PV500E”, marketed by the Italian company DSE (Digital Surveillance Equipment). This suggests that the device was supplied by the Italian company DSE.
Three outdoor surveillance cameras were found outside, close to the venue of an event. They were located along a 250m pathway leading to the venue. Among them, two cameras of model “BOLYGUARD MG983G” were found laying in the grass and in a bush, 80 centimeters above ground and were covered by a kind of camouflage hairnet. The third camera, of model “RECONYX HYPERFIRE SM750”, was found on a tree trunk, 1m20 above ground and had a khaki color.
The contents of the SD cards revealed that:
- The cameras were installed on the day they were found, very early in the morning (between 3h30 and 4h)
- They were capable of night vision. Two of them were configured to take pictures and the third one to record video and sound.
- Their positioning allowed them to take pictures of the front and back license plates of cars driving on the pathway, and of people walking on the pathway.
- One of the cameras was useless because of leaves in its field of vision.
According to the article that reported the discovery of the cameras, they were marketed by the United States companies RECONYX and Boly.
- BOLYGUARD-MG983G-en.pdf: user manual of the "BOLYGUARD MG983G" camera (in English).
- BOLYGUARD-MG983G-fr.pdf: user manual of the "BOLYGUARD MG983G" camera (in French).
- RECONYX-HYPERFIRE-en.pdf: user manual of the "RECONYX HYPERFIRE" camera (in English).
A surveillance device was found inside the desktop phone of a journalist seemingly targeted for their support to the news organization Wikileaks. The phone, a “Cryptophone” based on the “Snom 870” desktop phone, enabled encrypted voice communications with other Cryptophones. The surveillance device included a battery pack and a shielded module with several electronic components. It was able to record what was said on the phone and could be triggered remotely through radio frequencies to send the recorded data. Components of the phone were modified to install the surveillance device. The device was probably installed by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).
Three microphones with cameras were found in the alleys around a building. The devices were pointed at the different entries of the building.
The pictures of the devices show that the cameras were marketed by the Italian company Elkron (which became a subsidiary of the Italian company Urmet in 2012). This suggests that the cameras were supplied by the italian company Elkron.
Two cameras were found in front of a building. They were hidden in a fake electric box of the Italian electricity supplier Enel, attached on the first floor of a building.
The logo of the Italian company Gruppo TRS, which was bought in 2012 by the Italian company Atet, is visible on the pictures of the cameras. This suggests that the cameras were supplied by the Italian company Atet.
