Fuss about photos with dogs
Ukrainian commander is said to have shown secret battle maps on Tiktok
October 28, 2025, 11:22 p.m
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A Ukrainian officer apparently poses with his dog in an armed forces field headquarters and posts the photos on Facebook. Because maps are also visible, this causes a scandal on social media. But the scolded colonel turns things down and goes on the counteroffensive.
A commander of the Ukrainian assault forces is said to have shown photos of classified battle maps on Tiktok. This is reported unanimously by the Ukrainian media. Accordingly, the photographs taken by officer Valentin Manko show a section of the front line that extends from Pokrovsk to the eastern parts of the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions.
This means that one of the most intense periods of combat can be seen, where Russian troops are actively pursuing offensive operations, reports the Ukrainian media Strana.ua. The colonel is the head of the assault troops department of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, reports the Ukrainian TV station 24 Kanal and shows photos in which Manko and his dog can be seen posing with the cards.
Users of social networks reacted indignantly to Shortcoming’s behavior. According to 24 Channel, they pointed out that the publication of photos from the field headquarters showing maps or terrain was a gross violation of security regulations. Such actions pose a real threat and would allow the enemy to identify the terrain, positions and units, it said.
Ukrainian activist Serhiy Sternenko had previously responded to the Tiktok post with the comment: “Colonel Manko published photos on Tiktok showing maps marked ‘Top Secret’. Publishing such photos could help the enemy.” Sternenko reposted the enlarged photos of the cards on X.
However, Colonel Manko himself denies having passed on secret military maps. The colonel writes on his Facebook page that the maps cited by the media are not classified as secret. Those who reported secret maps allegedly “succumbed to this provocation.” There is a conscious attempt to portray the military as incompetent, which demeans the armed forces, says Manko. The Ukrainian calls on the media to “reconsider their position and apologize for the publication.”
One of Manko’s photos was published in August 2024. The photos are said to have been online for at least a year, reports mezha.net. At that time, Manko also published photos with maps, but some of the data on them was obscured. All of the photos that caused outrage on social networks have now disappeared from Manko’s Facebook page.
