Russia has stepped up a new information campaign against Sumy
Russia has launched a new wave of information and psychological operations (IPO) targeting the residents of Sumy.
According to the Center, following Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s statement that occupation forces are allegedly “10.5 km from Sumy”—which is not true—Russian propaganda has stepped up the dissemination of manipulative messages.
The campaign’s main narrative is that “the authorities are surrendering the city.” Propaganda outlets claim that local authorities are allegedly deliberately failing to restore critical infrastructure because Sumy is supposedly being prepared for surrender.
“Following Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s statement that occupation forces are supposedly ‘10.5 km from Sumy’—which is not true— enemy sources began spreading manipulative posts with the key narrative that ‘the authorities are surrendering the city.’ Propagandists claim that the local administration is allegedly deliberately failing to restore critical infrastructure because Sumy is being prepared for ‘surrender,’” the CPD explained.
Experts note that, after failing to elicit the expected reaction from Ukrainians, the enemy has moved on to creating an artificial illusion of mass public discontent.
In particular, a video purportedly from a “Sumy resident” complaining about low water pressure appeared on TikTok. Russian Telegram channels then began actively sharing the clip, using it as “evidence” of alleged social tension in the city.
“It is telling that the original source of this video was an anonymous account posing as a ‘Ukrainian soldier,’ rather than the ‘resident of Sumy’ herself.” This is a long-established tactic of the Russian special services: a profile is created where neutral military-related content is published to gain the audience’s trust, after which destructive disinformation is posted there,” the Center emphasized.
According to the Center for Public Diplomacy, the main goal of this information operation is to stir up panic among Sumy residents, undermine trust in local authorities and state institutions, and provide informational support for Russia’s military actions.
At the same time, the Center reiterated that temporary disruptions to the water supply in Sumy are caused by Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure, not by the actions of local authorities.
Currently, water is being supplied to the city according to schedule, technical water is being delivered, and utility services continue to address the consequences of Russian attacks.
The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) urged citizens not to fall for information provocations, not to share questionable content, and to trust only official sources of information.
This was reported by experts from the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD).
Russian propaganda outlets claimed to have allegedly captured the village of Ivolzhanske in the Sumy region. At the same time, the Ukrainian side refutes these claims, emphasizing that the information about these “successes” is fabricated and does not correspond to reality. This was reported on June 24 by the Communications Center of the “Kursk” military group, citing Ukrainian military sources.
