"Hi, Please Note": Google On Claim It Unblurred Russia Satellite Pics

Google has said it has not unblurred satellite maps imagery after reports claimed that the tech giant had "opened access" to military and strategic facilities in Russia. An unverified account, which goes by the name "ArmedForcesUkr", tweeted a set of images that appear to show military equipment belonging to Russia.

"Google Maps opened access to Russia's military and strategic facilities. Now everyone can see a variety of Russian launchers, intercontinental ballistic missile mines, command posts and secret landfills with a resolution of about 0.5 meters per pixel," the post claimed. 

⚡️GOOGLE MAPS ВІДКРИВ ДОСТУП ДО ВІЙСЬКОВИХ ТА СТРАТЕГІЧНИХ ОБ'ЄКТІВ РОСІЇ.
Тепер кожен може побачити різноманітні російські пускові установки, шахти міжконтинентальних балістичних ракет, командні пункти та секретні полігони з роздільною здатністю близько до 0,5 метра на піксель. pic.twitter.com/i75wR8Efwo

— Armed Forces ???????? (@ArmedForcesUkr) April 18, 2022

The post went viral in no time with users sharing the update on their timelines with the same set of pictures.

Google Maps took notice of one such post and replied: "Hi there, please note that we haven't made any blurring changes to our satellite imagery in Russia." 

Hi there, please note that we haven't made any blurring changes to our satellite imagery in Russia.

— Google Maps (@googlemaps) April 18, 2022

In order to protect users, Google Maps had disabled its live traffic data in Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country. It is not entirely uncommon for Google to blur its map feature in areas that are considered sensitive.

Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, YouTube and Google Play Store had suspended all payment-based services in Russia, including subscriptions in March.

Meanwhile, Ukraine recently claimed it has managed to hit and sink a Russian warship named Moskva. It was the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.