"Capitulation" and "coup": Russia prepares fakes about protests in Ukraine

Russian propaganda will continue its information campaign to discredit Ukrainian authorities by distorting the meaning of peaceful protests in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) issued a warning about this.

The CCD notes that Russia is actively exploiting the topic of protests in Ukraine as a tool for information-psychological operations. The enemy is attempting to distort the purpose of these actions to impose a Kremlin-favorable interpretation.

Russian propaganda resources are already spreading fakes claiming that the Ukrainian people are allegedly demanding "capitulation," "overthrow of power," and "ending the war at any cost." Alongside these claims are statements that the West should stop supporting Kyiv because "the Ukrainian government has lost legitimacy."

The CCD suggests that this trend will continue. The Russian authorities may traditionally engage a network of controlled media, bloggers, and influencers in Western countries. The Kremlin will promote narratives about an alleged "internal collapse," "societal division," and "Ukrainians' readiness for a coup."

"New instances are possible where Russian propaganda falsifies visual materials from peaceful protests in Ukraine: altering posters in photos, adding symbols of the aggressor country, and so on," the CCD warns.

They explain that Moscow's main goal is to influence public opinion in Western countries, particularly in the context of political decisions regarding aid to Ukraine.