Discrediting political leadership by alleging a “purge” of rivals

What it claims

The dismissal of officials is portrayed as an attempt by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to eliminate popular rivals to preserve personal power and corrupt schemes. Outlets claim the president's inner circle deliberately discredits effective managers to embezzle the defense budget without interference.

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.

• Zelenskyy fired Fedorov only because he became more popular than the president and prevented Bankova's inner circle from embezzling military funds through the Fire Point project.

  Женщина с косой, 12 Aug 2026 · Archived copy

• Businessmen Mindich and Shtilerman, close to Zelenskyy, not only embezzle 80% of the defense budget but also hand over AFU warehouse coordinates to Russia to discredit Fedorov.

  Женщина с косой, 11 Aug 2026

  t.me/skosoi/10023

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 provoke domestic political instability and undermine trust in state institutions during wartime.

Techniques used

• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceClaims that the president's inner circle “leaks” coordinates of AFU warehouses to the enemy to frame political opponents.
• Loaded LanguageUse of emotional expressions like “sawing the budget,” “Bankova’s war,” and “monopoly on leadership.”

The real grievance it exploits

Public war fatigue and sensitivity to the topic of corruption in the defense sector.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Propaganda uses the “elite split” tactic to create an illusion of deep conflict within the state leadership and demoralize society with fabricated stories about “leaking” positions.

Sources (all time)

• MediaKillerTier 1103,222 subscribers
  4 posts · 19 Aug 2026

  • 19 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24227
  • 19 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24222
  • 19 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24219
  • 19 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24216
• Женщина с косойTier 1106,483 subscribers
  2 posts · 11–12 Aug 2026

  • 12 Aug · Archived copy
  • 11 Aug · t.me/skosoi/10023