Russia is pushing disinformation about Kursk operation, Ukrainian officials say

The Ukrainian security service (SBU) is warning of a new Kremlin disinformation campaign related to Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russian territory.

According to the SBU’s statement, Russia is spreading fake news and purported information leaks about Ukraine’s military activities in Russia's Kursk region, accusing Ukrainian soldiers of war crimes.

This information “has nothing to do with reality,” Ukraine’s security officials said. "The enemy's information and psychological operations are mainly a result of their inability to effectively counter the offensive actions of the Ukrainian armed forces."

The SBU has also warned that Russia may resort to staging war crimes, in particular scenarios involving civilians in the Kursk region. 

According to Ukraine’s State Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), Moscow is also spreading false information about NATO troops participating in combat in the Kursk region.

“This is aimed at further intimidating Russians with a 'Western threat' and spreading disinformation in Global South countries,” said the head of the agency, Andriy Kovalenko.

The assault on Kursk is one of Ukraine’s biggest offensives since the start of the full-scale war almost three years ago. Ukraine initially kept silent about the operation, but this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed for the first time that the Ukrainian military is fighting inside Kursk.

Following the attack, Kursk state officials reported that the region’s government and business websites, as well as critical infrastructure services, were hit by a “massive” distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) incident. 

Local officials claimed that the hackers failed to damage the e-government infrastructure or gain access to user data. They have not attributed the DDoS incident  to Ukraine.

Fighting in the region also caused disruptions to telecom infrastructure, as residents complained that they couldn’t make or receive calls, according to local media reports. The disruption was reportedly caused by the government's order to locally jam the network for security purposes.

Russia has also warned about Ukraine’s disinformation campaigns targeting Kursk. In particular, some local residents have reportedly received calls from alleged Russian military personnel, claiming that citizens should evacuate the region. A Kursk state official also warned that “the enemies” created a fake Telegram channel in his name and were texting and calling people on his behalf.

The information about both digital and military operations in Kursk from both Russia and Ukraine is difficult to verify, as independent on-the-ground reports from the region are limited.