DIU on implementation of IPSO by Russian special services: Enemy is trying to be smarter, looking for opinion leaders, veterans and Ukrainian-speaking speakers
The enemy is trying to be more sophisticated and clever in implementing the IPSO. Realising that pro-Russian elements would not be trusted by anyone in Ukraine, Russian intelligence services began searching for opinion leaders, former military personnel, including veterans who had participated in the ATO or full-scale war, pro-Ukrainian activists, and Ukrainian-speaking speakers.
This was stated by a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Andriy Yusov on Espreso TV, Censor.NET reports.
"Information and psychological operations (IPSO) of the Russian special services were carried out long before 2014, and systematic work was carried out after the attempts to annex Crimea, the invasion of Donbas and, of course, after the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. And since approximately 1 November this year, we have seen an outbreak of IPSO implementation in many areas at once, including direct action, and these are always interconnected things against Ukraine," he said.
Yusov gave an example from the last few days, noting that yesterday, 3 December, there was a rally of relatives of Ukrainian prisoners, including Azovstal defenders. Ukrainian citizens whose relatives are in Russian captivity remind the world of the need to return the prisoners.
"This is a normal action for a democratic society. But at the same time, pro-Russian channels are beginning to distort the information, saying that a mass action for demobilisation and recall of soldiers from the frontline took place in Kyiv. Today, on 4 December, relatives of the prisoners refuted this blatant lie," the DIU representative stressed.
According to Yusov, the search for public opinion leaders has recently intensified, and they are trying to use them as experts, bloggers, and commentators on social media.
"This time, the enemy is trying to be more sophisticated and smarter, realising that pro-Russian public elements have already burned themselves out and will not be trusted by anyone, so they are trying to find former military, including veterans who participated in the ATO or a full-scale war. They also look for pro-Ukrainian, Ukrainian-speaking elements, activists and speakers.
And this is not always done directly, so to speak, through the FSB, but rather through third or fourth parties. The intermediaries may not even know whose order they are fulfilling. Nevertheless, such attempts are recorded, and these attempts are also countered," Yusov concluded.
