Russia intensifies information operation against Ukraine – Foreign Intelligence Service
Russia has intensified an information operation against Ukraine to undermine its statehood through disinformation, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reports.
The sharp escalation in Russia’s information campaign is aimed at dismantling Ukrainian statehood "not on the battlefield, but in people’s minds," the agency’s press service said.
The operation seeks to delegitimize Ukraine’s government, discredit its democratic institutions, and impose a foreign policy scenario resembling controlled capitulation, coordinated by Russia’s presidential administration and executed via its special services.
The FIS outlined Russia’s tactics: under the guise of "peace initiatives" and "analytical discourse," narratives are pushed to Ukrainian and global audiences claiming:
- Ukraine’s government lost legitimacy by not holding wartime elections,
- suggesting a "temporary administration" under the UN, U.S., EU, or even a quartet including Russia,
- asserting Russia can’t negotiate peace with Kyiv’s current leadership—intended as a casus belli for altering Ukraine’s political course.
"These aren’t just disinformation but part of a special operation to force Ukraine into political surrender masked as peace," the FIS stated.
The campaign leverages seemingly Western or "neutral" media as proxies—naming outlets in Hungary, Poland, and France—alongside anonymous Telegram channels posing as Ukrainian military or political insiders.
Russia also floods TikTok and YouTube with emotional videos pushing themes like "the West no longer supports Ukraine," "we’ve been deceived," and "leadership must change," amplified by bots and pro-Russian accounts in Europe and Latin America. The FIS noted the use of Ukrainians under treason probes to lend credibility to these messages.
Kremlin narratives are infiltrating partner nations’ influence structures through staged "discussions" on Kyiv’s legitimacy, peace talks excluding Ukraine, and alleged "loss of trust" in Ukraine, the FIS warned.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) flagged similar Russian info-psyops spikes on February 21 and March 13, 2025, citing increased activity by Moscow’s special services, pocket propagandists, and bloggers.