A handful of synchronized stories dominated the week, revealing how repetition can turn unsupported claims into a sustained campaign of fear.

Over the past week, Russian propaganda focused on several major topics: CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow, threats to turn Ukrainian cities into “dead cities,” unverified reports of civilian casualties, and fabricated claims of food shortages in Ukraine.

As reported by spravdi.org.

Rather than publishing a large number of brief reports, Russian media outlets repeatedly circulated a limited set of emotionally charged stories. Their primary goal was to intimidate Ukrainians, create the impression of a humanitarian catastrophe, and justify strikes on civilian infrastructure.

CIA Director’s Moscow Visit Used to Spread Rumors

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow quickly became a pretext for a new wave of manipulation. Russian channels began spreading unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine was allegedly being pressured to lower the military conscription age or begin drafting women.

At the same time, Russian audiences were alarmed with reports of a possible new wave of mobilization in Russia. Propaganda outlets provided no evidence linking these claims to the talks involving Ratcliffe.

After returning to Washington, the CIA director briefed the White House. However, the substance of his meetings in Moscow did not support the versions circulated by the Russian information network. The speed with which identical reports appeared suggested an attempt to use the visit itself to launch several parallel campaigns.

Threats to Turn Ukrainian Cities into “Dead Cities”

The week’s most aggressive narrative involved claims that the Kremlin had allegedly decided to turn Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities into “dead cities.” Propagandists cited their own interpretations of reports in Western media, including The Daily Telegraph.

Yulia Vityazeva, Talipov, and several Russian military bloggers circulated nearly identical reports about allegedly planned 60-hour continuous bombardments and the deliberate destruction of Ukraine’s energy system.

Putin has ordered continuous attacks to turn major Ukrainian cities into “dead cities.”

– “Talipov Online V”

At least two channels published virtually identical wording during the week. The synchronized repetition of the same claim across different platforms bears the hallmarks of coordinated information dissemination rather than independent reporting.

Strikes on Ports, Warehouses, and Civilian Infrastructure

Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported a series of attacks on Ukrainian logistics centers and seaports. Russian outlets devoted particular attention to strikes on warehouses belonging to the Rozetka and Fozzy companies in Boryspil.

Warehouses belonging to Rozetka and Fozzy were hit in Boryspil shortly before dawn.

– Boris Rozhin

That same week, a secondary explosion occurred at an ammunition depot in a residential area near Kyiv. Following the large-scale attack on August 31, the Russian side also claimed that a record 426 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in a single night. The reports provided no independent confirmation of this figure.

Propaganda coverage portrayed strikes on logistics facilities as attacks on military infrastructure, even when the targets were warehouses belonging to civilian retail chains. This approach makes it possible to conceal the impact of such attacks on the supply of goods and people’s daily lives.

Unverified Stories About Civilian Casualties

Another important element of the campaign involved three emotionally distressing stories from the occupied territories. Russian outlets reported a strike on a scheduled bus traveling between Lysychansk and Stakhanov, an attack on a shopping and entertainment center in Donetsk, and the death of an employee at the Duvanna mine in the Luhansk region.

In the first case, reports claimed that nine people had been killed. Reports about the shopping and entertainment center put the number of casualties at eight. Russian channels immediately blamed Ukraine for all three incidents.

Nine people were killed in a Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on a bus in the so-called “LPR.” Five passengers and the driver were injured.

– “RIA Novosti”

It is impossible to independently verify the circumstances of these incidents or the reported casualty figures. The information came exclusively from Russian or Russian-controlled authorities in the occupied territories. Nevertheless, propaganda outlets presented their version without qualification or alternative information.

False Claims About Empty Shelves and Food Shortages

Alongside the strikes on warehouses and logistics centers, Russian aggregators and channels, including “BB Breaking” and “Sasha Kots,” launched a campaign alleging shortages of goods in Ukraine.

Videos of empty store shelves, purportedly filmed in Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, and Ivano-Frankivsk, circulated online. Based on these videos, Russian outlets claimed that Ukraine was experiencing prolonged shortages of potatoes, grains, and cooking oil.

Such materials were intended to create an image of a “starving Ukraine” and convince audiences that the country’s food supply was allegedly on the verge of collapse. At the same time, the campaign helped propaganda justify strikes on civilian retail and logistics facilities by portraying their potential consequences as an internal Ukrainian problem.

How Russian Propaganda Changed Over the Week

For the second consecutive week, the main flow of information was confined to just five thematic categories. This was the lowest figure recorded during the entire monitoring period. Instead of dozens of minor reports, Russian platforms focused on several major stories that were constantly repeated in different wording.

At the same time, a significant share of the information flow consisted of topics unrelated directly to the war. These included an unconfirmed story about the death of the King of Norway, a US oil deal with Venezuela, and Knowledge Day. Combining everyday news with threats to destroy Ukrainian cities created a contrast between the image of a peaceful world and the imposed sense of an inevitable catastrophe in Ukraine.

The main trend of the week was an escalation in fearmongering rhetoric. Russian propaganda used unverified stories about civilian casualties, fabricated signs of a humanitarian crisis, and simultaneously circulated threats of massive bombardments. Together, these narratives were intended to heighten fear, undermine trust in Ukrainian institutions, and justify Russian attacks on civilian targets.