Russia is refining its cognitive warfare tactics — ISW
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has documented the widespread use of artificial intelligence to create fake videos showing Russian tricolor flags being raised.
The Kremlin has launched a large-scale cognitive campaign to demonstrate successes in areas where occupation forces have actually failed to secure their positions.
Analysts note that the infiltration tactics the enemy began using in the summer of 2025 are now accompanied by active informational support.
Russian troops are increasingly using video footage showing the raising of the Russian flag to claim alleged advances in areas where they have actually failed.
The technical sophistication of these manipulations has significantly increased over the past year.
ISW notes that over the past few months, Russia has been increasing the complexity of these videos, beginning in the winter of 2025 to produce more sophisticated, high-quality edited videos from multiple locations.
This systematic approach indicates centralized management of the propaganda machine by the Russian Federation’s top leadership.
The increased sophistication and use of artificial intelligence in these videos indicate that the Kremlin is conducting a coordinated campaign to support the information efforts of the Russian military high command.
A particular surge in disinformation was recorded in early May.
Russian sources released a significant portion of the AI-generated video content in the days leading up to Victory Day on May 9, likely to compensate for the fact that the troops had failed to meet the offensive deadlines.
The main goal of such “campaigns” is to demoralize Ukrainian society and misinform Western partners.
The Kremlin continues to wage a systematic cognitive war to exaggerate Russian successes through inflated claims of achievements and flag-raising missions.
The pace of Russia’s advance in Ukraine has slowed to its lowest since 2023
Russia was preparing a naval counteroffensive for 2026, but the plans fell through
