Top PSYOPS of the Week (Aug 17 – Aug 23, 2026): “Dismemberment” in the Kremlin; Captured Orcs in Izium “Kill Biletskyi,” “Arsonist” Khmara, and “Color Revolution” 3.0 in Kyiv

Baba Hanna calmly wipes her glasses and sighs:

“Oh, for goodness sake, Petro... When they learned about our three meals a day, they begged to slide the bolt tighter and throw the key into the well. Escape? They would rather sit on the colony's balance for life, just to avoid being released back to the swamps!”

Laughs aside, the scriptwriters of hostile PSYOPS are increasingly resembling authors of cheap detective novels...

Manufacturing panic in the front-line region: Russian propagandists created and widely circulated a fake story about escaped, armed Russian prisoners from an Izium colony in the Kharkiv region who had supposedly committed a new crime. They used fabricated photos, aliases, and gary-sounding surnames. This PSYOPS was quickly debunked by Ukrainian authorities. The analysis highlights that the ultimate goal is to generate local panic, but the audience is increasingly skeptical. The story spread even to reputable Ukrainian channels like "Kharkiv City," which the article criticizes for poor verification.

Terehov Debunks Health Rumors, Citing Conscious Lifestyle Choices: The section addresses anonymous claims circulating online comparing Mayor Ihor Terehov's photos from a year ago to his current appearance, alleging he looks "exhausted" and "ill" due to noticeable weight loss. Terehov refutes these claims, explaining to Suspilne that he is perfectly healthy. His appearance is the result of conscious effort: he runs or walks nearly 10 kilometers daily and manages his diet to remain "light on his feet" for the demands of leading a frontline city. He notes that recent health exams place his biological age at 44. The article adds that the extreme stress of managing a city under constant attack might be enough to cause weight loss, without the added exercise.

A "ShI" (AI)-generated "breakthrough" near Oskol: DeepStateUA identified a new wave of Russian PSYOPS using fully AI-generated video. Russian resources tried to present these clips, showing dynamic drone footage, soldiers, and smoke, as evidence that "Russian troops have already entered the outskirts of Oskol." Detailed analysis revealed classic AI artifacts: unnatural physics, distorted faces, and most critically, landscape geography that does not match the actual village of Oskol. The aim is to create an illusion of "unstoppable advance" for a domestic audience when real victories are absent, exploiting visual content's high virality.

The "Arsonist" Khmara vs. the "General-Terrorist": Russia launched an information attack on Ukraine's new Defense Minister, Yevhen Khmara. They first created a fake about his release from military service due to a negative health board review (VLC), which was debunked by law. Their second, international narrative tries to paint him as a "radical" or "terrorist," even attempting to link him to the Crocus City Hall attack (though ISIS claimed responsibility). This PSYOPS aims to destroy trust in the new leadership, create an image of chaos, and plant doubt among international partners.

The "Toilet Paper Revolt" and "Color Revolution" 3.0: The Russian state agency TASS, citing "siloviki" sources, produced an absurd theory that the West is engineering a "color revolution" in Ukraine by creating artificial shortages of toilet paper and problems with non-cash payments. The reality is that the 15-minute card payment disruption was due to a technical PrivatBank glitch, and the toilet paper shortage is a direct result of Russian missile attacks on production and logistics hubs. Propagandists attempt to blame the "machinations of Western puppeteers" for the consequences of their own war crimes.

The "Assassination" of Zelenskyy by a "Mad Ex-Deputy": Russian media widely amplified a marginal article from The American Conservative written by former US Congressman Ron Paul, calling on the CIA to remove Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Paul, an 88-year-old known for conspiracy theories and Kremlin narratives, used a bizarre analogy with the 1963 assassination of the South Vietnamese president. Russian propagandists tried to present this outlier view as "the position of the USA" to create an illusion that Western allies have already "written off" the Ukrainian leadership.

"Dismemberment" in the Kremlin: A morbid and chaotic PSYOPS centered around the discovery of parts of Russian historical figures' remains. Putin and Patriarch Kirill supposedly oversaw a "slicing" of the skeletons of Dmitry Donskoy, packaging "soupy assault sets" to be sent to the "Special Military Operation" (SVO) area. This campaign, marked by missing bones and historical fabrication, attempts to manufacture historical legitimacy and morale booster for the army, but is characterized by desperation. It includes a comically fabricated narrative from canonical sources, similar to a classic forgery plot from an Umberto Eco novel.

Read more in the Ukrainian edition....