Dismissal of strategic decisions by attributing “pointlessness” and destructive consequences to them
10 channels · 107 posts · 3.3M reach
What it claims
Military operations by the SBU and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are cast as Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s personal gambles that supposedly only provoke retaliatory strikes. This framing ignores the defensive necessity of Ukraine’s actions and shifts the blame for Russian aggression onto the Ukrainian leadership.
Update, 9 Oct 2026
Military operations in northern Donetsk, specifically the offensive near Lyman codenamed “Vivaldi,” are being cast as purely political gambles by Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Propagandists claim the goal of these actions was not military success but an attempt to influence Russian election results and boost Zelenskyy's own approval ratings. The offensive is labeled a “PR stunt” paid for with fabricated “tens of thousands of casualties” and the supposed creation of new “pockets” (kessels) for elite Ukrainian units. In this way, real tactical gains by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are dismissed by attributing to them an inflated cost and a lack of strategic purpose.
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 forty-day operation to pressure Russia, initiated by Zelenskyy, only led to the destruction of bulk carriers in the ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv.
Одесский партизан, 4 Aug 2026
t.me/odessa_partizan/3554
Zelenskyy deliberately signs decrees for new SBU operations that only bring further destruction to Ukrainian infrastructure.
Одесский партизан, 5 Aug 2026 · Archived copy
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 distrust in the effectiveness of Ukrainian intelligence services and convince citizens that resisting the aggressor only worsens their situation.
Techniques used
- Causal OversimplificationEstablishing a direct link between Ukrainian operations and Russian shelling of Odesa as the “result outside the window.”
- Loaded LanguageUsing the “Pandora’s box” metaphor to describe the actions of the Ukrainian leadership.
- Exaggeration or MinimisationClaims of losing 10,000 soldiers in just a few days of the Vivaldi operation and total monthly losses of 27,000.
The real grievance it exploits
The constant stress of the civilian population due to shelling of port infrastructure and the fear of escalating hostilities.
How to counter
- Reframe: Russia attacks Ukrainian ports for the purpose of economic blockade, regardless of SBU actions, and the operations of Ukrainian intelligence services are a legitimate response to aggression.
- Technique exposure: Manipulators use victim-blaming tactics, attempting to justify Russia's war crimes as “provocations” by the victim.
- Reframe: The liberation of Ukrainian territories, such as the 176 sq km during Operation Vivaldi, is a direct military task aimed at de-occupation and improving defensive lines, not a “PR stunt.”
Sources (all time)
29 posts · 3 Aug – 27 Sept 2026
- 27 Sept · t.me/ZeRada1/32413
- 27 Sept · t.me/ZeRada1/32412
- 27 Sept · t.me/ZeRada1/32406
- 26 Sept · t.me/ZeRada1/32405
- 30 Aug · t.me/ZeRada1/32038
- 30 Aug · t.me/ZeRada1/32035
- 29 Aug · t.me/ZeRada1/32028
- 22 Aug · t.me/ZeRada1/31932
- 22 Aug · t.me/ZeRada1/31930
- 22 Aug · t.me/ZeRada1/31925
- +19 more
26 posts · 3 Aug – 24 Oct 2026
- 24 Oct · t.me/rezident_ua/30867
- 23 Oct · t.me/rezident_ua/30864
- 22 Oct · t.me/rezident_ua/30859
- 22 Oct · t.me/rezident_ua/30858
- 27 Sept · t.me/rezident_ua/30670
- 26 Sept · t.me/rezident_ua/30666
- 25 Sept · t.me/rezident_ua/30659
- 25 Sept · t.me/rezident_ua/30652
- 21 Sept · t.me/rezident_ua/30633
- 20 Sept · t.me/rezident_ua/30622
- +16 more
15 posts · 9 Aug – 3 Oct 2026
- 3 Oct · t.me/skosoi/10424
- 3 Oct · t.me/skosoi/10421
- 21 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10349
- 20 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10344
- 16 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10317
- 16 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10316
- 13 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10304
- 13 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10302
- 12 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10289
- 12 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10288
- +5 more
7 posts · 5–29 Oct 2026
- 29 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23789
- 29 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23784
- 28 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23782
- 28 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23780
- 28 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23779
- 6 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23614
- 5 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23608
6 posts · 8 Aug – 10 Sept 2026
- 10 Sept · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24581
- 13 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24142
- 12 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24141
- 9 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24088
- 9 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24085
- 8 Aug · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24076
3 posts · 20 Sept – 2 Oct 2026
- 2 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103061
- 2 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103060
- 20 Sept · t.me/OpenUkraine/102608
1 post · 11 Aug 2026
- 11 Aug · t.me/stranaua/244648
1 post · 7 Oct 2026
- 7 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95690
14 posts · 4 Aug – 16 Sept 2026
- 16 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3731
- 16 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3729
- 15 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3722
- 29 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3662
- 29 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3661
- 29 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3660
- 29 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3659
- 29 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3658
- 29 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3654
- 25 Aug · t.me/odessa_partizan/3644
- +4 more
5 posts · 1–16 Sept 2026
- 16 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31805
- 16 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31759
- 2 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31209
- 1 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31207
- 1 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31206
Report as of 29 Oct 2026 · AI-generated analysis