Russia prepares new disinformation campaign alleging U.S., UK control of Ukraine's Security Service

The Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council reported the information.

According to the center, Russia likely plans to undermine trust in these individuals both within Ukraine and among international partners. To achieve this, Russian media may spread fake stories alleging ties between certain delegates and Russia, aiming to delegitimize the very idea of negotiations. Simultaneously, Russian narratives in Western media may claim that Ukraine is stalling the talks or behaving unconstructively in order to sway public opinion and weaken international support for Kyiv.

Alongside this, Russia is expected to continue accusing Ukraine of so-called terrorist actions. Ukrainian military strikes on Russian targets will likely be portrayed as acts of terrorism. Propagandists may also stage arrests of supposed “Ukrainian saboteurs” inside Russia to create the illusion of a constant threat and justify further aggression. These narratives will be reinforced by claims of alleged “atrocities committed by Ukrainian troops,” painting Ukraine as a dangerous enemy.

Another key propaganda focus will be the discrediting of Ukrainian intelligence services. Following recent successful operations by the SBU, Russian media have begun suggesting that Ukraine poses a threat even to the U.S. — asserting that Kyiv might conduct similar missions abroad or transfer its methods to terrorist actors. Propaganda outlets have invoked the memory of the 9/11 attacks to stoke fear in American audiences. At the same time, they may push the message that Ukraine couldn’t possibly carry out such complex operations alone, implying that they are orchestrated by Western intelligence agencies — particularly the U.S. or the U.K. This is meant to depict Ukraine as a fully dependent state.

• Russian propaganda manipulates information to undermine Ukraine’s leadership in the ongoing prisoner exchange talks.