In February of this year, after Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed as a result of a joint operation by Israel and the United States, security concerns increased within the Russian government. Medianews.az reports that the United Kingdom's "Financial Times" newspaper wrote this.
According to an article published by the newspaper on June 8, Russian intelligence agencies temporarily turned off part of the special video surveillance system that ensures the security of President Vladimir Putin and his close circle. "Financial Times," citing two informed sources, reports that the system was isolated from the internet and restarted after being thoroughly checked.
According to the publication's claim, Israeli intelligence analyzed footage obtained from street cameras in Tehran using artificial intelligence technologies in order to monitor Khamenei’s movements. The newspaper writes that in this way, the location and time of a high-level meeting held on February 28 were determined. As a result of the strike on that meeting, in addition to Khamenei, several high-ranking military leaders of Iran were also killed.
"Financial Times" notes that modern artificial intelligence systems allow processing millions of hours of video material in a short time, and enable identification of behavioral patterns of people and vehicles. Such programs can now detect not only specific individuals or objects but also suspicious behaviors.
According to the newspaper, these capabilities cause concerns in Russia. The article states that although surveillance cameras provide states with security and control opportunities, they can also turn into targets for foreign intelligence services.
A security official from a Western country speaking to "Financial Times" expressed this as follows: "They install the cameras, and we just have to find a way to access them."
The article also notes that Russia itself widely uses AI-based video analytics systems. Sergey Chemezov, head of the state corporation "Rostec," recently told President Putin that such systems have been tested in almost all regions of the country. According to him, the technologies assist law enforcement agencies in searching for criminals and missing persons.