Inflating the myth of “underground resistance” to legitimize terror

What it claims

Propaganda outlets pass off criminal incidents and everyday hardships as the work of an organized pro-Russian underground in Ukrainian cities. The goal is to create an illusion of civil strife and incite residents to espionage and sabotage under the guise of a “liberation struggle.”

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.

• In Odesa, on Heavenly Hundred Avenue, partisans liquidated a territorial recruitment centre instructor using an explosion.

  Лохматый Z Николаев, 9 Aug 2026 · Archived copy

• The Russian Public Resistance calls on residents of occupied territories to transmit data about the enemy via anonymous bots for a quick victory.

  Лохматый Z Николаев, 9 Aug 2026

  t.me/L0HMATIY/37594

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

Demoralize Ukrainian society through fear of an “internal enemy” and recruit marginalized groups to cooperate with Russian intelligence services.

Techniques used

• Loaded LanguageUse of terms like “Bandera filth,” “Western occupation,” and “Southern Rus” to label the Ukrainian government as alien.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceInstructions on conspiracy and warnings about “Bandera claws” intended to intimidate potential informants.

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits war fatigue, fear of mobilization, and social tension caused by everyday hardships in frontline regions.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Russian outlets systematically glamorize crime, passing off domestic conflicts or accidents as “underground work” to create a picture of mass disloyalty among Ukrainians.

Sources (all time)

• Лохматый Z НиколаевTier 135,143 subscribers
  2 posts · 9 Aug 2026

  • 9 Aug · Archived copy
  • 9 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37594
• Женщина с косойTier 1106,483 subscribers
  1 post · 21 Aug 2026

  • 21 Aug · t.me/skosoi/10094