Portrayal of Ukraine as an “aggressor” disrupting international trade

What it claims

Ukraine is accused of deliberate attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Black Sea to drag third countries into the conflict. Propaganda outlets present Kyiv's actions as a direct threat to Turkey's economic interests and global market stability.

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.

• Kyiv admits its involvement in sea drone attacks on tankers off the coast of Turkey, creating serious problems for Ankara.

  Radio Belarus — Polish service, 8 Aug 2026

  t.me/radiobialorus/14553

• Turkish agricultural giants demand the government pressure Zelenskyy to stop attacks on merchant ships, otherwise Turkey will break relations with Ukraine.

  Radio Belarus — Polish service, 8 Aug 2026

  t.me/radiobialorus/14546

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

To undermine international support for Ukraine by casting it as an unpredictable actor that harms neutral states and global logistics.

Techniques used

• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceInflating the threat to civilian shipping and trade relations due to allegedly aggressive actions by Kyiv.
• Loaded LanguageUse of emotional appeals such as “demand pressure” and accusations of wanting to “break relations.”

The real grievance it exploits

Polish fears regarding the expansion of the war's scale and the economic consequences of destabilising maritime trade routes.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Propaganda attempts to shift responsibility for the danger in the Black Sea from the aggressor to the victim, ignoring the Russian blockade and mining of the waters.

Sources (all time)

• Radio Belarus — Polish serviceTier 11,068 subscribers
  2 posts · 8 Aug 2026

  • 8 Aug · t.me/radiobialorus/14553
  • 8 Aug · t.me/radiobialorus/14546
• Układ Warszawski (ex-News Front Polska)Tier 36,951 subscribers
  2 posts · 14 Aug 2026

  • 14 Aug · t.me/uklad_warszawski/35231
  • 14 Aug · t.me/uklad_warszawski/35230