Russia intensifies information operation against Ukraine – Foreign Intelligence Service

That’s according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Ukrinform reports.

“During the first five days of April, a new wave of information attacks aimed at Ukraine has been observed. Russian intelligence services are focusing on promoting accusations to EU countries and the U.S. that Kyiv allegedly refuses to negotiate an end to the war. In this way, Russia is trying to shift the blame for the ongoing hostilities onto the Ukrainian side, while simultaneously presenting a false image of itself as a ‘peacemaker’ supposedly ready to negotiate — but not with the current authorities,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, Russian state and affiliated media are involved in this information attack. Moreover, Russia is attempting to infiltrate the global information space to create the impression that “Ukraine fatigue” is becoming a widespread trend, thereby exerting external pressure on Kyiv.

“To achieve this, Russia is engaging foreign proxy media, which it uses under the guise of independent sources. Among them are Reseau International (France), Magyar Hirlap (Hungary), L’Antidiplomatico (Italy), eReport (Slovakia), and others. These outlets promote narratives identical to those of Russian propaganda: ‘the absence of democracy in Ukraine,’ ‘the West is disillusioned with Kyiv,’ and ‘peace is only possible after a change in the Ukrainian government’,” the Foreign Intelligence Service said.

At the same time, there is a targeted infiltration into the Ukrainian information space — via anonymous Telegram channels, pseudo-patriotic TikTok accounts, and YouTube content that mimics the opinions of Ukrainian military personnel or “independent experts.”

“To amplify the campaign, proxy outlets repost the same messages in various forms: as opinion columns, fake interviews, ‘analytical’ blogs, graphics, and videos on social media. This approach creates the illusion of a broad, multi-voiced discussion that is, in reality, orchestrated by a single center — the Kremlin,” the Foreign Intelligence Service added.

As previously reported, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service is working to uncover the schemes of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which finances the Kremlin’s war efforts against Ukraine, as well as the captains of these vessels. Intelligence officers are currently monitoring over 300 such ship captains.