Russia has launched a new information and psychological operation against residents of Sumy
The Center for Countering Disinformation reported on a new Russian information and psychological operation aimed at destabilizing the situation in Sumy.
According to the Center, Russian propaganda outlets are actively spreading manipulative messages claiming that local authorities are deliberately failing to restore the city’s critical infrastructure because Sumy is allegedly “being prepared for surrender.”
The Center emphasizes that such statements are part of hostile propaganda aimed at sowing panic among the population, undermining trust in the authorities, and destabilizing the situation in the border region.
“A video was posted on TikTok purportedly by a ‘resident of Sumy’ who emotionally complains about low water pressure in the water supply system. This clip was quickly picked up and widely circulated by Russian Telegram channels. It is noteworthy that the original source of this video was an anonymous account posing as a ‘Ukrainian soldier,’ not the ‘resident of Sumy’ herself,” the statement reads.
According to the CPD, this is a long-established tactic of 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.
It is noted that the goal of this operation is to sow fear among Sumy residents and undermine trust in city and state leadership. This is a striking example of how the enemy uses information campaigns to support its military operations aimed at terrorizing the civilian population, the CPD noted.
They reiterated that the temporary water supply issues in Sumy are caused by Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure.
“We urge you not to fall for the enemy’s provocations, not to share questionable videos, and to trust official sources of information,” the statement emphasized.
The Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reports on the corresponding information and psychological operation launched by the Russian Federation following Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s statement that the occupying forces are allegedly “10.5 km from Sumy,” according to the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Putin’s issue will have to be resolved by the Russian elite — the Center for Countering Disinformation.
The Kremlin has stepped up its rhetoric about a war with Europe — the Center for Countering Disinformation.
As a reminder, drones struck 193 Russian trucks near occupied Crimea over the course of five days.
Earlier, on June 16, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don handed down sentences to two Ukrainian prisoners of war from the “Azov” battalion, sentencing them to 17 and 20 years of imprisonment in a penal colony.
Russia has handed down yet another round of sentences to Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced six defenders of Ukraine to terms ranging from 12 to 19 years in a strict-regime penal colony.
