Scandals are unfolding in Ukraine and Romania with the possible leakage of information from video surveillance systems. And if in Romania a possible leak is associated with the mass use of Chinese equipment suspected of espionage in the USA and Great Britain, everything is more difficult and harder in Ukraine.
In December 2023, the "Schemes" are in their own journalistic investigation told how for a long time Ukrainian enterprises, including state ones, used equipment with Russian software. And this software ensured the sending of images from video surveillance cameras located in Ukraine to the Moscow servers of Digital Network, a contractor of the FSB. Video cameras with e-mail software monitored the situation at the Chornobyl NPP, the streets of Poltava, and a number of commercial enterprises. Since February 2022, a special commission under the State Intelligence Service has blocked millions of Russian IP addresses, including IP addresses of Moscow servers.
Thus, one Russian software has already followed a Russian ship. But, unfortunately, this software was not the only one. Moreover, it turned out that at the end of the second year of the war, software with a Russian trace was purchased with the funds of the European Union for the installation of a video surveillance system in the border town of Izmail, which is currently a key part of the "grain corridor".
In the pre-war, pre-war and pre-election years of 2019, Mayor Izmail Andriy Abramchenko told his electorate that the city executive committee subordinate to him became a partner of the project "SVS-SAFETY - prevention and fight against organized crime and police cooperation through cross-border centers on the Romania-Ukraine border" and will receive 474 euro. With these funds, it was necessary to repair the emergency building and neighboring buildings for the Transborder Center and improve the territory, as well as create a city-wide video surveillance system from a network of smart cameras.
The project was supposed to be implemented in 2 years, but ... then the covid pandemic happened. Then the war started. The implementation of the project stretched for 4 years and together with this the cost of the works increased.
Almost doubled the cost of capital repairs, which was carried out by the Private Enterprise "Rodnik" of Ihor Dekhtyaryov, a deputy of the Izmail city council and a long-time business partner of the Izmail mayor.
The creation of a video surveillance system became more expensive by 25%: in December 2022, it was planned to be installed for 3,9 million UAH, and in April 2023 - already for 4,4 million UAH.
But all these games of stretching the deadlines and increasing the price of contracted works, which the Izmail city executive committee repeatedly played, are nothing compared to the software that was entered into the city's video surveillance system.
On May 10, 2023, the Executive Committee of the Izmail City Council, represented by the Izmail City Mayor Andriy Abramchenko, signed contract No. 58 dated May 10, 2023 with the "Aksikor Unit" LLC with Appendix No. 1 — Terms of Reference for the introduction of automatic video surveillance systems as part of the "SVS- SAFETY – prevention and fight against organized crime and police cooperation through cross-border centers on the Romania-Ukraine border". In this Technical Task, the video surveillance system consists of special equipment (support fiber optic network, switching equipment, network video cameras, equipment for uninterrupted power supply) and the "NxWitness-NetworkOptix" software complex.
We have verified that the NxWitness-NetworkOptix software complex is not an initiative of the contractor, but of the customer of the works (that is, the Executive Committee of the Izmail City Council represented by the Izmail City Mayor Andrii Abramchenko).
After all, "NxWitness-NetworkOptix" appears in the contract concluded in December 2022, when they wanted to install a video surveillance system for UAH 3,9 million, but the contract was terminated due to "discrepancy of the project budget ratio to the contract value", and in the tender documentation for April 2023, when the works were purchased more expensively - for 4,4 million hryvnias.
We emphasize this fact so that it is clear who is primarily to blame for the inclusion of the "NxWitness-NetworkOptix" software complex in the border city, which has a direct connection with the Russian Federation.
So, what is known about the company "NetworkOptix"? It has existed since 2010 and is engaged in the development of software for managing and analyzing local or streaming videos, providing recognition of faces and license plates. Although the company distributes certain software free of charge, it has millions of revenue thanks to it sale network licenses for recording from video surveillance cameras, programs for the operation of a network video wall, etc. The company was registered in California, but since 2021 has moved its office to Texas (the address of the official office in Texas is 1999 Bryan St., Ste. 900 Dallas, TX 75201, the address for correspondence is in California: 111 N First St Ste 200 Burbank, CA 91502 -1817), where other companies from Silicon Valley are now moving their offices.
However, there is a nuance.
As noted on distributor's website software of "Liniya Avtomatiki" LLC (EDRPOU code 33399728): "Nx Witness from Network Optix is the best video surveillance management platform". Probably because the NetworkOptix software is distributed for free. Even the fact that the company is present is not confusing... in Moscow - for the sale and support of software.
Presence at Network Optix Inc. office on the Russian territory is confirmed by analytical the Craft.co platform, indicating the address of the office: Moscow, Novoryazanska vulytsia, 30a, building 8.
As it turned out, the company in Moscow does not only sell and support software. The software development office functions here. This is how Network Optix Inc. positioned itself on the well-known for developers Internet resources Khabr. And it was here that the recruitment of programmers from among the graduates of Russian higher education institutions of Moscow State University, Moscow State Technical University, MIFI took place - to the Moscow office, and from 2022 - to the office in Belgrade, Serbia, or other countries.
Source https://employment-services.ru/vacancy/?action=read1&id=485483
However, the most interesting thing is not that the American company is recruiting Russian programmers to work in the Russian Federation, Serbia and other countries.
What is more interesting is where this recruiting office is actually located - a business center at Novoryazanska Street, 30a, building 8. We did not find the owners of the business center: the information is hidden even from realtors. But they found an organization that has been located there since its foundation in 2002 - Moscow Regional Public Organization of Disabled People of Regional Conflicts and Special Purpose Units "Soldiers of the World". Pretty telling title, isn't it?
Source https://www.rusprofile.ru/id/3652017?ysclid=lsz7xi9s13529648000
Recruiting of Russian programmers for the development of software for video surveillance and public organization of disabled people of regional conflicts and special purpose units in one building.
American journalists in revue for March 2022:
And finally. As evidenced register of texas, in the company Network Optix Inc (Texas Taxpayer Number 32081768650) one of the co-founders and top managers is a Russian Sergey Bystrov, by the way, a graduate of the Moscow Institute of Technical University, as he noted on the social network LinkedIn.
Thus, the connection of the development company Network Optix Inc with the Russian Federation is obvious.
Another question is more interesting: why did the Izmail City Executive Committee in the person of Andriy Abramchenko purchase the "NxWitness-NetworkOptix" software complex for use in the Izmail video surveillance system? After all, Izmail is a key city in the "grain corridor" and a significant export flow of Ukrainian grain passes through it.
And the shelling by the Shahed began just after they began to install the video surveillance system with the "NxWitness-NetworkOptix" software complex.
