As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Analysis Lab (DFRLab) is preserving a detailed eye on Russia’s actions throughout the navy, cyber, and knowledge domains. With greater than seven years of expertise monitoring the state of affairs in Ukraine—in addition to Russia’s use of propaganda and disinformation to undermine the United States, NATO, and the European Union—the DFRLab’s world group presents the most recent installment of the Russian Struggle Report.
Safety
Ukraine counterattacks in Kherson as Russia prepares new deployments
Media coverage
Russia approves Yandex sale of media property to VK
Monitoring narratives
Extra studying
Professional-Kremlin Wikipedia different off to a tough begin
Ukraine counterattacks in Kherson as Russia prepares new deployments
On August 29, the anniversary of the 2014 bloodbath of 366 Ukrainian troopers in Ilovaisk, the Ukrainian military launched a counter-offensive towards Russian forces in Kherson. Kherson was the primary main metropolis to fall after Russia re-invaded Ukraine in February. Kyiv’s generals have hinted for months that they had been making ready a counter-offensive. They launched the assault within the early hours of the twenty ninth after laying the groundwork the earlier night time by hanging key bridges and command factors.
Ukrainian forces focused Russian navy command-and-control components in northwestern Kherson, whereas Russian forces tried a restricted floor assault in the identical space. Ukraine’s Southern Command reported that injury to the Antonovsky and Darivka bridges made them impassable for heavy gear. Ukrainian forces additionally attacked Nova Kakhovka.
Media experiences point out that fierce combating erupted on August 30 within the metropolis of Kherson, and heavy gunfire might be heard close to town middle. Nonetheless, it’s unclear whether or not Ukrainian troops had entered Kherson or whether or not the combating within the metropolis’s streets was between Russian forces and partisans loyal to Kyiv. On September 1, surveillance footage appeared on-line exhibiting Russian forces waving white flags, reportedly within the Kherson area, in response to Ukrainian channels.
As well as, the navy command in Moscow could quickly encounter issues with the contingents stationed in Central Asia scheduled to be redeployed to Ukraine. Based on Ukrainian intelligence experiences, Russian navy models in Kazakhstan (who had been deployed there in January as protests erupted) refused to return and take part within the warfare towards Ukraine. The official purpose for the refusal was the shortage of particular air transport. There are roughly 1,000 troops in Kazakhstan with weapons and gear, at present positioned close to essential infrastructure websites comparable to airports, oil warehouses, and the Baikonur spaceport. Russia has already pulled virtually all of its navy contingents from Tajikistan and Armenia to take part within the warfare in Ukraine.
Additionally on August 29, Maxar revealed satellite tv for pc pictures of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant. The photographs present Russian navy gear sheltered close to one of many reactors. On September 1, a group of fourteen consultants from the Worldwide Atomic Power Company (IAEA) lastly visited the plant after a chronic delay brought on by the Russian authorities. IAEA Director Rafael Grossi mentioned the go to was full, however the IAEA “is right here to remain and can preserve a continued presence at Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant.”
In the meantime, volunteer battalions from Russia’s third Army Corps are anticipated to be deployed to renew offensive operations in southern and japanese Ukraine. Photographs of the third Army Corps coaching in Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, point out that troops are coaching with extra superior gear, together with BMP-3 infantry combating autos, T-80BVM and T-90M battle tanks, and the most recent variant of the AK-12 assault rifle.
Earlier Russian volunteer battalions that fought in Ukraine, together with the North Ossetian Alania battalion, went into battle with older gear. It seems that the Russian navy intends to ship the third Army Corps models into offensive operations with the hope of regaining momentum on the entrance line. The T-80BVM and T-90M tanks from Mulino had been seen on August 27 in Rostov Oblast, indicating that components of the third Army Corps are being deployed to places near the Ukraine border.
Russian forces additionally carried out a restricted floor assault close to the western outskirts of Donetsk on August 27 and have superior into the outskirts of Krasnohorivka. Russian troops are persevering with efforts to flank Avdiivka from the north and firing upon Ukrainian positions alongside the Avdiivka-Donetsk frontline.
—Ruslan Trad, Resident Fellow for Safety Analysis, Sofia, Bulgaria
Russia approves Yandex sale of media property to VK
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) permitted a deal on August 30 permitting Yandex and VKontakte (VK) to change property, in a transfer that can additional prohibit the circulation of data in Russia. As a part of the deal, Yandex will promote its search engine, information aggregator and Zen content material platform to the state-controlled social media community VK. In change, Yandex will purchase Supply Membership, the biggest meals supply firm in Russia.
As a part of the deal, FAS would require each firms to comply with particular circumstances “so as to preserve competitors of their respective markets.” Yandex is prohibited from taking measures that would cut back the usage of Supply Membership by eating places or creating incentives for companions and couriers of Yandex.Meals. VK, in flip, is obligated to request and procure person consent for private knowledge processing on each Zen and News.
Russian-owned information outlet TASS defined what the deal means for each firms. To know VK’s strategic curiosity, they wrote, one “ought to take note of that it [VK] has just lately become a quasi-state construction.” TASS famous that Gazprom, the Russian nationwide fuel firm, is not directly accountable for the voting shares of VK. Firms depending on the state, they added, “typically carry out social capabilities, on the similar time appearing as an instrument for implementing state coverage.” TASS defined that VK has a “eager curiosity in Yandex’s media tasks” as a result of it could strengthen Russia’s “presence in new mass and in style section of digital media, in addition to increasing management over this space.”
As for Yandex, TASS says the deal is a chance to “depoliticize” its enterprise. TASS notes that worldwide sanctions have heightened the dangers for Yandex from a regulatory perspective. “Probably dangerous property will merely be exchanged for a promising politically ‘impartial’ Supply Membership undertaking,” they added.
—Eto Buziashvili, Analysis Affiliate, Washington DC
Austrian tabloid makes use of false pictures to assert Darya Dugina’s killer was stabbed to loss of life
A right-wing Austrian tabloid revealed a narrative on August 28 claiming the girl accused of murdering Darya Dugina was stabbed to loss of life. Exxpress, a tabloid related with conservative and right-wing Austrian politicians, additionally reported that Natalya Vovk, the girl Kremlin media allege murdered Dugina, was discovered lifeless with “seventeen stab wounds and a chunk of paper in her hand.” The article cited a “message that unfold like wildfire on Telegram” because the supply.
Dugina was the daughter of Alexander Dugin, a Russian thinker thought-about to be the founding father of the Russkiy Mir ideology, which the Kremlin employs as justification for its warfare towards Ukraine.
The article’s lead picture is a composite that includes a photograph of Natalya Vovk, beforehand revealed in pro-Kremlin retailers, and a blurred picture of a girl mendacity on a mattress. Nonetheless, the blurred picture is an outdated picture first revealed in July 22, 2020, in response to a report by the Kremlin-controlled outlet REN TV.
Moreover, the Exxpress article shared an ID card which it claims was utilized by Vovk; nevertheless, the caption notes that the ID is faux. The picture on the ID truly reveals Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Kremlin-owned information outlet RT.
Professional-Kremlin Telegram channels beforehand circulated an ID card they allege belongs to Vovk and proves she is a member of the Azov battalion. Twitter person @issandjumal carried out a photograph forensic evaluation on the ID card and concluded the picture had been manipulated.
In response to the faux Vovk ID, the Fb account of the Nationwide Guard of Ukraine appeared to troll Russia by sharing a number of clearly photoshopped ID playing cards, changing the picture with well-known Russian media figures, together with Simonyan.
Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Inside Ministry, shared the faux Simonyan ID card with the caption, “We additionally understand how to attract and make picture collages. Have a look at what character we have now serving within the Nationwide Guard proper now.”
Quickly after the story was revealed, Kremlin-owned media retailers comparable to RIA Novosti in Crimea reported that Vovk had been killed, citing Exxpress as their supply. The professional-Kremlin Russian actress Yana Poplavskaya amplified the false Exxpress story and urged, “Those that order a homicide don’t go away the executers alive.” A number of Russian media retailers, together with RIA FAN, Ekonomika Segodnya, Slovo I Delo, and PolitEkspert, reported on Poplavskaya’s remark. Different well-known figures additionally amplified the story, together with TV presenter Vladimir Sergienko and Ukrainian pro-Kremlin activists Olga Shariy and Anatoly Shariy.
Finally, pro-Kremlin retailers debunked the Exxpress article. RBC mentioned it reached out to the Austrian Inside Ministry to inquire about Vovk’s loss of life. “We are able to inform you that no such case is thought in Austria,” the ministry instructed RBC. “Due to this fact, we can not affirm the accuracy of this data.” A number of Russian media retailers reported on the Austrian assertion.
Some pro-Kremlin media retailers, comparable to Tsargrad and REN TV, urged of their debunks that Exxpress was fooled by an unnamed click-bait Telegram submit that sought to garner subscribers.
Someday after Exxpress revealed the report on Vovk’s alleged homicide, it revealed a follow-up story stating, “The primary experiences that the Ukrainian had been murdered weren’t confirmed by Moscow.” Regardless of this, Exxpress continued to make use of the faux picture of the Simonyan ID card.
Kremlin-controlled media retailers have beforehand urged that Vovk fled from Moscow to Estonia after which to Austria, the place she was allegedly noticed in a resort. This will likely have given credence to the Austrian tabloid’s reporting on Vovk.
The case of the Austrian tabloid demonstrates the range of actors capitalizing on the unsolved homicide of Darya Dugina.
—Nika Aleksejeva, Lead Researcher, Riga, Latvia
Professional-Kremlin Wikipedia different off to a tough begin
Runiversalis (руни.рф), a newly launched Russian analog of the web encyclopedia Wikipedia, is an try to unfold Russian propaganda and disinformation within the guise of a wiki. Past utilizing the underlying software program structure employed by Wikipedia, it’s a wiki in title solely. Learn extra about it within the newest evaluation from the DFRLab’s Eto Buziashvili and Andy Carvin.
—Eto Buziashvili, Analysis Affiliate, Washington DC
—Andy Carvin, Resident Senior Fellow and Managing Editor, Washington DC
Picture: Ukraine.- Within the photographs taken on August 29, 2022, it reveals Ukrainian troopers deployed at strategic factors within the nation within the midst of the armed battle with Russia. Ukrainian forces have began a counteroffensive to retake the southern metropolis of Kherson, at present occupied by Russian troops, a neighborhood authorities official mentioned on Monday. The Ukrainian counteroffensive would signify a key strategic advance for the kyiv forces.
