The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has obtained access to a number of Russian documents that indicate preparations to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and undermine its external support. According to the information, the reason for this decision by Russia is the failure of its spring offensive and critical problems in its economy.
The Russian presidential administration is instructing its special services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Russian media to максимально “amplify” a media campaign in Ukrainian and European information spaces. The Kremlin’s presidential administration office for strategic partnership and cooperation (headed by V. Titov) has identified three key agenda points.
The first is the discrediting of mobilization in Ukraine and of the military leadership responsible for staffing the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This task is considered critical for them in the context of heavy Russian losses on the front. The second is the discrediting of the President of Ukraine, his team, and members of his family. The third is to prevent the “secondary nature” of the media scandal surrounding A. Yermak and the interview with Y. Mendel. The Kremlin considers this case important, but one that has been pushed out of the European information space by international events, including the situation involving Iran.
To generate public resonance, Russia’s “media plan” includes producing fake documents on behalf of state authorities and spreading them to the public. Russian propaganda has even been tasked with creating “puppet-symbols” for the disinformation campaign. In addition, attempts are planned to involve former Ukrainian officials, political figures, and experts in these Russian schemes. It is reported that initial attempts to operate under this new scenario are already being observed not only in Ukraine but also abroad.
Some documents indicate that more than 15 proxy media outlets are planned to be involved in disseminating content exclusively in Western information spaces. These include, among others, controversial media resources such as L'Antidiplomatico, Magyar Nemzet, Prvni Zpravy, and CZ24.news. The list is incomplete and is expected to be approved by the Russian presidential administration soon.
The materials obtained by the Foreign Intelligence Service indicate that Russia plans to further intensify this campaign, expand destructive narratives, and scale up its audience and geographical reach.
