Russia relaunches disinformation campaign alleging Ukraine's political elite to flee Kyiv

"The Russian disinformation mechanism is relying once again on the declarations of D. Medvedev. His comments have provided them with a pretext to continue promoting the narrative that Ukraine's political elite is plotting to desert Kyiv," warns Michał Marek, a disinformation expert, on platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Russians circulated similar information at the onset of the war on February 24, 2022, as Russian battalions advanced toward the Ukrainian capital. However, apart from official duties, Zelensky remained stationed in the capital.

The likely cause behind reviving the narrative about the flight of Ukraine's elite from Kyiv could be the challenging circumstances at the front and the fall of Avdiivka.

In his address, Medvedev also commented that to "accomplish the objectives of the special operation" (as they refer to the war in Ukraine in Russia), there is a need to "occupy Kyiv." According to him, if the Kremlin doesn't execute this action now, it will inevitably occur at some point. The Kremlin perceives Kyiv as a potential "threat to Russia's existence," or at the very least, regards it to be a "Russian city."

"Reports about an imminent escape of V. Zelensky and other Ukrainian politicians either 'to Warsaw or London' due to the 'unexpected deterioration of the situation at the front' might be fervently circulated within the Polish infosphere today by individuals supporting Moscow's disinformation activities," warns Marek.

Gen. Kyrylo Budanov talked about the launch of a disinformation campaign during an interview with "The Wall Street Journal." As per the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, this campaign could be accompanied by false flag incidents.