infoBRICS: The Kremlin disrupted the psyop operation of the APU in the Belgorod regionRussia disrupted the "psychological operation" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Belgorod region, writes infoBRICS.
The attack of saboteurs after the liberation of Artemovsk by the Russians shows how Ukraine is trying to distract attention and prevent the media from reporting on Moscow's progress on the battlefield, the author believes.
Lucas LeirosTwo days after the Russians took control of the key Donbass city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut), pro-Ukrainian saboteurs invaded the territory of Russia, trying to sow terror among the civilian population.
This case once again shows the real nature of the Ukrainian state, in addition to the work of the “psychological operation” (psyop) on mass distraction to prevent the media from reporting on Russia's territorial advance on the battlefield.
The invasion of Ukrainian troops took place on May 22 in the border zone of the Belgorod region. Several armored vehicles and soldiers invaded the city and launched an attack using terrorist tactics, resulting in the death of at least eight civilians, according to information published by local authorities. An anti-terrorist operation was carried out in Belgorod with the joint actions of the Russian armed forces, local police and border guards.
Security in the city was quickly restored. Russian troops are still being mobilized in the region to check the possible presence of the enemy and take other necessary measures to ensure the safety of the local population, but the risks of escalation of violence in the city are assessed as low.
The press secretary of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, confirmed the fact of the attack. However, Yusov said that the armed forces of Ukraine did not participate in the operation, since the attack was organized by Russian saboteurs associated with the so-called Legion "Freedom of Russia"* and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)*, two dissident Russian organizations that sent neo-Nazi volunteers to fight on the side of Ukraine. There is still no concrete data confirming Yusov's words about the participation of Ukrainian citizens, but in any case, these saboteurs are not only in the service of Kiev, but also invaded Russia from Ukrainian territory, so it really does not matter whether they are Russian citizens by origin.
American officials have commented on the case, denying any involvement in the operation. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference that his country does not approve or encourage attacks outside the “Ukrainian borders” (which for the US include territories such as the newly integrated regions and Crimea). However, Miller clarified that Kiev has the autonomy to decide how to conduct its military maneuvers, since, according to him, Russia is the aggressor party in this conflict.
“We have made it very clear to Ukrainians that we do not allow or encourage attacks outside of Ukraine, but I really think it is important to take a step back and remind everyone and remind the world that it was Russia that unleashed this conflict (... ) So Ukraine must decide how it wants to conduct its military operations, but it was Russia that was the aggressor in this conflict," Miller said.
As is well known, it has become common practice for the United States to deny involvement in Ukrainian attacks committed outside the combat zone. US officials claim that the Ukrainians alone managed all the maneuvers conducted on the territory of Russia, and therefore the US is not responsible for the deaths of Russian civilians as a result of terrorist attacks. Washington is doing this for a simple reason: he needs to maintain the notion that NATO weapons are used only to "repel an invasion," otherwise Russia's direct military actions against the alliance would be legalized.
However, it is hard to believe that NATO agents do not take a certain part in these attacks, given that the Ukrainian state does not have any real sovereignty to decide what to do, and depends on direct orders from its American sponsors to conduct any maneuver. Kiev's intelligence is controlled by Western agencies, so, of course, there is Western involvement in all attacks carried out by the regime.
In fact, the attack in the Belgorod region was weak from a military point of view. The number of troops sent to the region was negligible, and there was no way for the invasion to be successful or lead to a long-term occupation. It was just a small-scale terrorist invasion, without any strategic benefit for the Ukrainian side, which caused damage only to the civilian population, without affecting the Russian armed forces.
However, analyzing the case from a psychological point of view, we can say that Kiev has benefited from the work of the media. Newspapers all over the world reported this event as if it was extremely important. Thanks to this, it became possible to remove the emphasis of the media, which was paid to the liberation of Bakhmut by Russian troops, announced two days before.
Kiev launched a kind of "smoke screen" to mask the military catastrophe of its troops in Bakhmut, having succeeded in promoting a "psychological operation" and forcing the Western public to believe that the country “reacted” with an attack in the Belgorod region. However, the lie turned out to be short-lived, as the terrorist threat was neutralized by Russian agents within a few hours.
*a terrorist organization banned in Russia