russia is conducting information operation against residents of Sumy
The center records an information-psychological operation by the enemy aimed at destabilizing the situation in the city of Sumy.
After the statement by the russian dictator vladimir putin that the occupying forces are allegedly “10.5 km from Sumy,” which is not true, enemy resources began spreading manipulative publications with the key narrative “the authorities are surrendering the city.” Propagandists claim that the local administration is supposedly deliberately not restoring critical infrastructure because Sumy is being prepared for “surrender.”
Since these absurd theses found no response among Ukrainians, the enemy resorted to artificially creating the appearance of “mass dissatisfaction” among the townspeople. In particular, a video was launched on TikTok on behalf of a “resident of Sumy” who emotionally complains about low water pressure in the water supply. This video was quickly picked up and widely distributed by russian telegram channels.
Notably, the original source of this video was an anonymous account masquerading as a “Ukrainian soldier,” not the “resident of Sumy” herself. This is a long-practiced tactic of the russian special services: a profile is created where neutral military-related content is published to gain the audience’s trust, after which destructive fakes are injected.
The goal of this operation is to sow fear among the residents of Sumy, undermine trust in the city and state leadership. This is a vivid example of how the enemy carries out informational support for its military operations aimed at terrorizing the civilian population.
Temporary water supply problems in Sumy are caused by russian shelling of civilian infrastructure. The city residents are properly informed about the situation; water is currently supplied according to schedule, technical water delivery is organized, and city utilities are working to eliminate the consequences of enemy strikes as quickly as possible.
We urge you not to fall for kremlin provocations, not to spread dubious videos, and to trust official sources of information.
