Framing the Ukrainian leadership as Western “puppets”
15 sources · 214 posts · ~4.7M reach
What it claims
The Ukrainian government is portrayed as a tool of foreign interests, deliberately sacrificing its population for the geopolitical goals of the US and EU. It is claimed that the state has completely lost its agency, and that mobilization and continued defense are merely fulfilling the orders of “sponsors.”
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.
Ukraine has long been dead as a state and is only kept alive by Western loans to serve as a tool for inflicting damage on Russia.
Легитимный, 3 Aug 2026
t.me/legitimniy/22960
Zelenskyy is deliberately sending Ukrainians to their deaths to fulfill the tasks of Western masters who promised him personal protection.
Легитимный, 2 Aug 2026
t.me/legitimniy/22953
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 trust in state institutions, provoke internal division, and sow despair regarding the feasibility of defending the country.
Techniques used
- Name Calling or LabelingUsing derogatory labels like “puppets,” “managers of sponsors,” and “hounds” to dehumanize government officials and security forces.
- Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceIntimidation with inevitable death at the front and claims that Ukraine is a “corpse” on life support.
The real grievance it exploits
Fatigue from the prolonged war, fear of mobilization, and the economic insecurity of the civilian population.
How to counter
- Reframe: Partner assistance is aimed at preserving Ukrainian statehood and protecting civilians from occupation, not at using people as a “resource.”
- Technique exposure: Propaganda uses the “external governance” tactic to strip Ukrainians of their sense of agency and justify Russian aggression as a fight against the West.
Sources (all time)
81 posts · 2 Aug – 26 Oct 2026
- 26 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23759
- 24 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23747
- 24 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23746
- 24 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23745
- 23 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23739
- 22 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23734
- 22 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23733
- 22 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23732
- 20 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23715
- 13 Oct · t.me/legitimniy/23661
- +71 more
35 posts · 29 Jul – 31 Oct 2026
- 31 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/96277
- 29 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/96261
- 29 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/96259
- 29 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/96258
- 16 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95952
- 16 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95943
- 11 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95783
- 9 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95782
- 9 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95779
- 9 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95775
- +25 more
19 posts · 23 Jul – 30 Oct 2026
- 30 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32839
- 15 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32658
- 15 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32653
- 14 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32647
- 14 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32646
- 11 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32613
- 11 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32610
- 11 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32609
- 11 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32605
- 11 Oct · t.me/ZeRada1/32604
- +9 more
19 posts · 24 Aug – 1 Nov 2026
- 1 Nov · t.me/L0HMATIY/39245
- 1 Nov · t.me/L0HMATIY/39243
- 1 Nov · t.me/L0HMATIY/39240
- 31 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/39236
- 31 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/39234
- 14 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/38959
- 14 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/38958
- 12 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/38912
- 12 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/38910
- 12 Oct · t.me/L0HMATIY/38906
- +9 more
14 posts · 12 Aug – 29 Sept 2026
- 29 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10406
- 29 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10404
- 28 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10399
- 28 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10398
- 27 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10395
- 27 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10394
- 13 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10304
- 13 Sept · t.me/skosoi/10302
- 23 Aug · t.me/skosoi/10108
- 22 Aug · t.me/skosoi/10105
- +4 more
5 posts · 8 Aug – 25 Sept 2026
- 25 Sept · t.me/OpenUkraine/102791
- 25 Sept · t.me/OpenUkraine/102786
- 26 Aug · t.me/OpenUkraine/101749
- 8 Aug · t.me/OpenUkraine/101074
- 8 Aug · t.me/OpenUkraine/101065
3 posts · 12–13 Oct 2026
- 13 Oct · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2110016814772044037
- 12 Oct · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2109619581157355963
- 12 Oct · x.com/M_Simonyan/status/2109579414396969331
2 posts · 4 Oct 2026
- 4 Oct · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24883
- 4 Oct · t.me/MediaKiller2021/24879
2 posts · 2–16 Oct 2026
- 16 Oct · t.me/ASupersharij/61356
- 2 Oct · t.me/ASupersharij/60862
1 post · 4 Sept 2026
- 4 Sept · x.com/i_korotchenko/status/2095960081829441999
1 post · 20 Jul 2026
- 20 Jul · x.com/Kornilov1968/status/2079072185088430546
20 posts · 26 Aug – 25 Oct 2026
- 25 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1364
- 23 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1361
- 21 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1354
- 20 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1351
- 18 Oct · Archived copy
- 15 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1341
- 15 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1339
- 11 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1334
- 11 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1332
- 1 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1314
- +10 more
6 posts · 27 Jul – 7 Aug 2026
- 7 Aug · t.me/shelestlive/30424
- 7 Aug · t.me/shelestlive/30418
- 5 Aug · t.me/shelestlive/30337
- 28 Jul · t.me/shelestlive/29986
- 28 Jul · t.me/shelestlive/29984
- 27 Jul · t.me/shelestlive/29945
3 posts · 28 Aug – 22 Oct 2026
- 22 Oct · t.me/free_kherson_z/18899
- 21 Oct · t.me/free_kherson_z/18880
- 28 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/18057
3 posts · 9–11 Oct 2026
- 11 Oct · t.me/odessa_partizan/3820
- 11 Oct · t.me/odessa_partizan/3819
- 9 Oct · t.me/odessa_partizan/3810
Report as of 1 Nov 2026 · AI-generated analysis