Ukraine and the Russian SIM‑card issue: Parliament warns they’re used for the war; Commission says it’s up to Member States

Brussels – The war in Ukraine is being waged using mobile phone SIM cards – tools that are useful for hostile operations and for which the EU appears ill-prepared. Strange, yet true. In this age of technology, Russia seems to have found a new way to carry out attacks. Krzysztof Brejza, a Polish MEP from the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists), is sounding the alarm: “ Russian SIM cards are being utilised as tools for military and intelligence operations.” 

SIM cards are the standard cards used to operate smartphones and mobile phones, sold by every mobile network operator to enable communications. Well, these everyday devices “enable Russian forces to guide drones and missiles with high precision by using local cellular infrastructure and roaming services, as well as EU roaming close to the EU border,” the MEP warns, complaining about the lack of an EU-wide ban on Russian SIM cards, which can also connect to European networks thanks to the extension of EU roaming to Ukraine. 

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Security and Digital Sovereignty, says nothing explicitly about the issue. She neither confirms nor denies that there is a problem with SIM cards being used for purposes other than making phone calls, and points the finger at the Member States: “Under the European Electronic Communications Code, Member States’ authorities are able to require providers of public electronic communications networks or publicly available electronic communications services to block access to numbers or services where this is justified by reasons of fraud or misuse.” 

The European Commission therefore has no powers regarding the management of telecommunications networks and, in any case, Virkkunen adds, national operators such as TIM may be required to block access to numbers or services, “but only on a case-by-case basis”. There is no possibility of a blanket ban on Russian SIM cards, but it is necessary to check each time which number the SIM corresponds to, who it is registered to, and how it is being used. This is therefore a complex process for telecoms companies and the regulatory authorities. In any case, Virkkunen does not dismiss the possibility: Russia could indeed be waging war in Ukraine via smartphones.