putin Demands to Destabilize the Internal Situation in Ukraine

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has obtained access to a number of russian documents indicating preparations to destabilize the situation in our country and undermine its international support. It has become known that the rf’s decision stems from the failure of its spring offensive and critical economic problems.

The russian presidential administration is demanding that the security services, the ministry of foreign affairs, and the russian media “ramp up” the media campaign in Ukraine and Europe as much as possible. The russian presidential administration’s directorate for strategic partnership and cooperation (headed by v. titov) has determined three agenda items. The first is to discredit the mobilization in Ukraine and the military leadership responsible for staffing the Defense Forces of Ukraine. This task is critical for them given the russians’ heavy losses on the front lines. The second – to discredit the President of Ukraine, his team, and his family members. The third – to prevent the “media scandal surrounding A. Yermak and Yu. Mendel’s interview” from fading into the background. The kremlin considers this case important, but such that has been pushed out of Europe’s information space amid international events, including the situation surrounding Iran.

To generate public resonance, the rf’s “media plan” involves the creation of fake documents on behalf of government agencies and presenting them to the public. russian propaganda has even set the task of creating “puppets- symbols” for the discrediting campaign. Besides, there are plans to involve former Ukrainian officials, as well as political figures and experts, in russia’s schemes. Starting today, we are already observing the rf’s first attempts to act according to a new scenario, not only in Ukraine but also abroad.

Certain documents indicate that more than 15 proxy media outlets are planned to be used for dissemination exclusively in the Western information space. Among them – such notorious media resources as L'Antidiplomatico, Magyar Nemzet, Prvni Zpravy, and CZ24.news. The list is incomplete and is to be approved by the russian government in the near future.

Materials obtained by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine indicate that russia plans to intensify the campaign, expand destructive narratives, and scale up both the audience and the geographic scope of dissemination.