Ukraine Discovers Russian Army’s Propaganda Materials To ‘Achieve Russia’s Goals’

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has announced uncovering propaganda materials that were made by Russian special services in an attempt to explain to Russians the decision to launch a “special military operation” and enter Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian officials gained access to several documents where employees of the 5th unit of the Kremlin’s FSB admitted that many Russians still do not understand why the invasion of Ukraine was needed to achieve Russia’s goals. The documents also laid out a plan to justify the war to Russians, including making more propaganda videos.

“To change the situation, according to Russian special services, it is necessary to make more videos about ‘heroes of liberation’, saving animals, reuniting separated families,” the SSU said Sunday.

As per the documents obtained by the SSU, in addition to producing propaganda materials, the FSB also demands shutting down all Ukrainian TV channels in occupied areas and replacing them with programs claiming Russian soldiers were fighting to “pass” captured territories to the people.

In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his decision to launch a “special military operation” in Ukraine to “demilitarize and de-Nazify” the country. He also said he wanted to protect the people from being bullied by the Ukrainian government and bring to trial the people who they claimed committed crimes against citizens in the Russian-backed regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Russia has repeatedly promoted the narrative of Nazis and genocide in Ukraine for many years. However, Putin’s attempt to paint Ukraine as a fascist country drew widespread criticism, including from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish. Several of Zelensky’s family members, including three of his great uncles, died during the Holocaust.

Despite what Putin first claimed as the reason for the war, Russia pulled back from Kyiv in March and declared that its main goal was to liberate the eastern Donbas region. As of Sunday, at least 20% of Ukrainian territory has fallen to Russian control. The Donbas region is also “almost entirely destroyed,” Zelensky said in an address.

At least 31,150 Russian soldiers have died as the war stretches into its fourth month, according to estimates from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. It is unclear how many Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during the invasion.