SBU warned about the Russian psychological operation due to the events in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) warned about the threat of Russian information and psychological special operations due to the events in the Kursk region of Russia. The Russian special services are trying to use this to baselessly accuse the Ukrainian military of committing war crimes.

"First of all, this is connected with the impossibility of effectively countering the offensive actions of the Armed Forces," SBU noted.

According to SBU, in the near future the Russian special services may resort to staging crimes, in particular against the civilian population of the Kursk region, in order to later blame Ukraine for this.

SBU warns that such attempts are futile and will not affect either the offensive actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the opinion of Ukraineʼs international partners. The agency emphasized that Ukraine has already proven that it strictly adheres to the rules and customs of warfare.

What is happening in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation

On the morning of August 6, Russian telegram channels began to spread information about heavy fighting in the Kursk region of Russia (bordering Sumy region) and an alleged major offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On August 12, Kursk region Governor Aleksei Smirnov informed about the loss of control over 28 settlements in the region. During an online meeting with Putin, he said that allegedly Ukrainian troops went to a depth of 12 km and a width of 40 km. According to him, about 480 km² of the Kursk region have been seized. Almost 121 000 residents left the border areas.

Ukraine does not officially comment on the events in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. But on some official pages of Ukrainian units, videos and photos of fighters in populated areas of the Kursk region appear.