Russian special services plan 'peaceful protests' in Ukraine amid talks with US, ombudsman says

Russian special services are planning to undermine the situation inside Ukraine under the guise of so-called "peaceful protests" and influence the country's leadership, especially as Kyiv negotiates with Washington to end the Russian war. This is based on our own data, said Ukrainian parliament сommissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

According to the information he has, the occupiers' special services may be preparing a series of protests in major cities in the south and east of Ukraine (Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv), as well as in Kyiv.

"The Russian Federation is trying to use human pain and vulnerability: they plan to involve mostly women, including the mothers of our servicemen – prisoners and/or missing persons – on a material basis. The enemy expects that this will create the necessary emotional background, provide media coverage and provoke a public outcry," Lubinets explained.

According to Moscow's plan, such actions should become a tool to destabilize the domestic political situation and put pressure on the military and political leadership of the state, especially against the backdrop of active consultations between Ukraine and the United States on the conditions for ending the Russian war, the ombudsman added.

"We must clearly realize: Russia will continue to try to hit the most sensitive things – trust, unity, and the families of our defenders. That is why it is important to remain vigilant and not allow the enemy to use the human tragedy as an instrument of information warfare against Ukraine!" the official summarized.

• In July, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported that Russia had launched new information and psychological operation against Ukraine, by blackmailing family members of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
• The last exchange of prisoners so far was held on October 2 – back then, Ukraine returned 205 military and civilians from Russian captivity.
• President Zelenskyy said Ukraine hopes to resume exchanges by the end of the year.