Between January 16 and 19, about 250 manipulative publications were recorded, alleging that Ukraine carried out drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and other energy facilities on temporarily occupied territories. Such materials appeared on various online platforms and fueled myths about the safety of energy infrastructure.
Information monitoring indicates the systematic dissemination of such messages and their impact on the broader information landscape.
Scale and dynamics of disinformation activity
According to the monitoring data, almost 11,000 publications mentioning Ukraine appeared on about 120 internet resources that systematically produce disinformation. This number roughly corresponds to the volume of materials published in more than 800 legitimate foreign media outlets.
Thus, about half of foreign content about Ukraine originates from platforms involved in Russian information manipulation and interference (FIMI).
Context of narratives ahead of international events
Narrative activity increased ahead of major international events, notably before meetings in Miami and the World Economic Forum in Davos. In addition to energy topics, Russian propaganda propagated the image of Ukraine as a “failed state,” accusing it of war crimes and religious persecution.
The context also mentioned various fakes related to Ukraine’s intentions or actions on the international arena.
Focus on court proceedings and the media space
Propagandistic materials highlighted the court proceedings in Poland – regarding Russian saboteurs and archaeologist Oleksandr Butyagin – as tools to illustrate allegedly “anti-Russian” trends in the region.
According to monitoring data, networks Pravda, Sputnik, RT and other resources are actively used to disseminate manipulative content, regularly involved in Russian information operations.
The energy sector and current events
According to reports, several Ukrainian electrical substations, crucial for ensuring nuclear safety, sustained damage during rocket and drone strikes that occurred in the early hours of January 20. It was also reported that the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant completely lost external power supply.
Monitoring shows the systematic appearance of disinformation materials and their significant role in shaping the information space, underscoring the need to verify sources and the context of each publication before disseminating the materials further.