Top PsyOp of the Week (23.02 – 01.03.2026): The Incredible Adventures of "Nukes" in Ukraine

Xi remains silent for a long time, sips his tea, and then calmly replies:

— Vladimir, why get so worked up? You are a serious geopolitician. Let’s reason logically.

— Well, let’s! — Putin chimes in. — They are the aggressors!

— Exactly, — Xi nods. — Look at the situation through my eyes. In London, your officials and oligarchs have castles; in Paris, their wives and mistresses have penthouses and boutiques. All your money is in Swiss banks. Your children study in British schools…

— And what follows from that? — Putin wonders.

— Well, — Xi sighs, — that if you strike London and Paris, it won't be a "preemptive strike against the enemy," but the first case in history where a president committed collective suicide of his government without leaving his bunker. You don’t want your ministers to be left without apartments in Nice, do you? That would be inhumane!

Putin fell silent:

— So what should I do then, Comrade Xi?

— What do you mean? — Xi smiled. — Keep threatening. It’s free, eco-friendly and, most importantly, absolutely safe for your real estate in Europe!

Nuclear "Escalation" Myths The Narrative: Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and TASS claimed the UK and France are preparing to provide Ukraine with nuclear or "dirty" bombs.

The Reality: This is a distortion of academic and private policy discussions (e.g., a 2024 NYT article) regarding long-term security guarantees.

Goal: To justify Russian mobilization, frame NATO as the aggressor, and intimidate Western taxpayers into withdrawing support for Ukraine.

Diplomatic Gaslighting (Iran Strikes) The Narrative: Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned US/Israeli strikes in Iran as "unprovoked aggression against a sovereign UN state."

The Irony: Critics pointed out the blatant hypocrisy, as Russia itself continues a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, another sovereign UN member. This is a classic case of state-level "gaslighting" to frame Russia as a global "peacemaker."

The "Druzhba" Pipeline Commission The Narrative: Pro-Russian leaders Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico demanded a "special commission" to inspect the Druzhba oil pipeline on Ukrainian territory.

The Reality: Experts view this as an attempt to infringe on Ukrainian sovereignty and plant "inspectors" (potential intelligence assets) at critical infrastructure sites.

Context: Russia sabotaged the pipeline in early 2024, yet Hungary and Slovakia avoided blaming Moscow, directing pressure toward Kyiv instead.

Narrative Shifts: The Chubais Case The Narrative: Anatoly Chubais, a long-time Kremlin insider and architect of Russian reforms, claimed in a Canadian court that he was "always against Putin" to avoid sanctions.

The Reality: This highlights a trend of former Russian elites attempting to rewrite their history to escape international legal and financial consequences.

Tactical Deceptions & Scams Social Engineering: Hostile actors are using "honeytrap" profiles (fake personas like "Nastenka") to emotionally manipulate soldiers' families and extract geolocation or contact data.

Cybersecurity: Fake "Ukrenergo" emails regarding blackout schedules are being used to spread malware.

AI Fakes (Trump/Hockey): An AI-generated video showing hockey player Brady Tkachuk insulting Canadians was circulated by political accounts. Tkachuk publicly debunked the video, noting the voice and lip-sync were clearly fraudulent.

Key Takeaway: The current disinformation landscape relies heavily on "fear-mongering" regarding nuclear weapons and "gaslighting" to flip the roles of aggressor and victim.