Labeling informants as “waiters” to devalue intelligence activities

What it claims

Ukrainian citizens in occupied territories who assist the Defense Forces are branded as naive victims of intelligence manipulation. Reports of arrests are used to instill the idea that exposure is inevitable and cooperation with Ukraine is futile.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• The Kherson region prosecutor's office has charged a 43-year-old Ukrainian man who collected data on Russian equipment and stored explosives for Ukrainian intelligence.

  FREE KHERSON, 11 Aug 2026

  t.me/free_kherson_z/17712

• Another “waiter” who believed the SBU's fairy tales was caught in the Kherson region — he should have thought sooner.

  FREE KHERSON, 11 Aug 2026

  t.me/free_kherson_z/17711

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

Intimidate residents of temporarily occupied territories and deter them from transmitting data about Russian troop movements.

Techniques used

• Name Calling or LabelingUse of the derogatory label “waiter” (zhdun) for civilians.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceEmphasis on the inevitability of punishment and the “exposure” of everyone who helps Ukraine.

The real grievance it exploits

Fear of reprisals from the occupation authorities and a sense of danger from being in a combat zone.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Occupation resources use isolated cases of arrests to create an illusion of total control, attempting to hide the large-scale resistance of the local population.

Sources (all time)

• FREE KHERSONTier 39,570 subscribers
  2 posts · 11 Aug 2026

  • 11 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/17712
  • 11 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/17711