Russia searching for Patriot debris in occupied territories, prepares disinformation campaign

Photo: representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Andrii Yusov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

Russia is preparing new IPSOs to discredit Ukraine for July 2024. The Russians are looking for missile fragments from Patriot air defense systems in the occupied territories of Ukraine to prepare disinformation operations, according to Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

There is information that Russia will continue to use the topic of the crash of the IL-76 near Belgorod to conduct information and psychological operation, put pressure in Ukraine, and discredit Ukraine abroad.

"Certain actions are planned for July by the so-called Investigative Committee of Russia, where some evidence is falsified. Immediately after the incident, the Russians instructed their units to search for wreckage, in particular, of Patriot missiles in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to try to build some kind of evidence base. So far, it's not going well, otherwise, there would have been activity on their part," Yusov says.

According to him, Russian propaganda will also use the terrorist attack in the Crocus shopping center in the Moscow region, trying to involve Ukraine in it.

"However, this does not stand up to any criticism and there is no logic in it. This includes attempts to undermine the situation inside, and the issue of propaganda to delegitimize the Ukrainian government. These are the areas in which Russia will continue to work," the DIU representative says.

Regarding the Maidan-3 information propaganda campaign, Yusov notes that it is a multilayered operation that is ongoing. But in general, he says, the effect Russia was counting on was not achieved.

Russian Il-76 aircraft crash

In January 2024, an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia. Russia claimed that there were allegedly Ukrainian prisoners on board, who were being transported for an exchange. Moscow accused Ukraine of having shot down the plane.

Ukraine denies the Russian accusations. Intelligence confirmed that an exchange was to take place that day.

However, Russia has not yet confirmed the alleged downing of the plane or the deaths of the prisoners. Earlier, Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova said that Moscow was supposedly ready to hand over the bodies. However, this has not happened yet.