Stoking panic by predicting a “collapse” of defense and the encirclement of troops

What it claims

Claims of a rapid front-line collapse and the inevitable death of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in “traps” aim to undermine faith in the military command. Manipulators misuse OSINT data to create an illusion of catastrophe, asserting that retreats are supposedly forbidden even under total encirclement.

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 Ukrainian command supposedly forbids withdrawing from cities, which could lead to over 50,000 AFU troops being encircled and killed.

  Женщина с косой, 31 Jul 2026

  t.me/skosoi/9942

• In the last month, Ukraine has lost territory eight times the size of Lutsk, and Russian troops have already cut off key supply routes to Kostiantynivka.

  Женщина с косой, 2 Aug 2026

  t.me/skosoi/9959

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 sow despair among service members and their families, provoking demoralization and distrust in the strategic decisions of the General Staff.

Techniques used

• Exaggeration or MinimisationUsing large-scale comparisons of lost territories to the areas of multiple cities to create an effect of uncontrolled catastrophe.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceClaims that 50,000 troops are supposedly “doomed” because the command has forbidden maneuver defense.

The real grievance it exploits

The natural fear among the military of being encircled (“kettles”) and public anxiety over territorial losses during intense fighting.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Propaganda often manipulates figures of territorial changes while ignoring the price the aggressor pays for every meter and the strategic importance of organized withdrawals to prepared positions.
• Reframe: Instead of “traps,” the Ukrainian army employs maneuver defense, prioritizing the preservation of soldiers' lives and the exhaustion of the enemy's offensive potential.

Sources (all time)

• Женщина с косойTier 1101,160 subscribers
  3 posts · 31 Jul – 4 Aug 2026

  • 4 Aug · t.me/skosoi/9984
  • 2 Aug · t.me/skosoi/9959
  • 31 Jul · t.me/skosoi/9942