Ukraine's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russia’s new disinformation plan includes attempts to assassinate prominent Ukrainians, then blame Kyiv for the assassinations in an attempt to divide society, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Budanov said that in tandem with its external military offensive, the Kremlin also aims to sow discord in Ukrainian society and within its armed forces.
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It recently activated a plan that combines disinformation and attempts to kill famous Ukrainians to, among other things, weaken the resolve of soldiers, Budanov told The Wall Street Journal.
On Feb 14, the previous president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, said he was not allowed to leave the country and attend the Munich Security Conference, The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to Poroshenko, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament relayed a warning that he said came from Budanov that Poroshenko was in danger “as the leader of the opposition.”
“Immediately after crossing the border, and especially in Munich, I, as the leader of the opposition, face mortal danger! And neither the State Security Department nor the entire German security system can protect me,” Poroshenko said at the time, adding that the only way for him to be kept safe at the time was to cancel his trip.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Budanov declined to comment on that case.
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However, the spy chief gave an example of another Russian disinformation campaign.
He said that the Russians spread a fake story that he was preparing to assassinate French President Emmanuel Macron on orders from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that the French leader was warned about it by people from former Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny's entourage – leading to him canceling a planned trip to Kyiv.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev enthusiastically spread that particular story, Budanov said.
“These are all elements of one big idea,” he said.
Ukrainian intelligence, the HUR, warns that the peak of Russia’s next big disinformation attacks will likely occur in the spring and be accompanied by “powerful military strikes aimed at taking advantage of any discord.”
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