Russia’s Typical Disinformation Campaign: Moscow Claims Ukraine is Plotting Terror Attacks in EU

Russian media is claiming Kyiv is considering a series of terrorist attacks against Russian diplomatic missions in Europe to derail negotiations.

This was reported by various Russian news agencies on February 19, including RT, citing Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

“Ukraine will most likely attempt attacks in Germany, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, as well as Slovakia and Hungary, according to the agency,” RT wrote on its Telegram channel.

According to OSN, citing the intelligence bureau, the European authorities are aware of this information.

Looking at previous similar Russian claims, Moscow often accuses others of exactly what it is going to do itself.

Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, stated on his channel that Sergei Naryshkin, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, is the one behind this disinformation campaign.

“He already failed in staging cable sabotage against NATO countries, which backfired by exposing Russia as the culprit. After that, he began claiming that Ukraine was planning attacks on ships,” Kovalenko wrote.

“Now, Naryshkin sticks to the same playbook, falsely accusing Ukraine of preparing terrorist attacks in the EU.”

Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence under the Ministry of Defense, stated this in a comment to Ukrainian media that the entire world recognizes the absurdity of these claims, but propaganda demands certain actions.

“These are undoubtedly fakes. At the same time, they pose a direct threat to destabilizing other countries. Putin’s intelligence agencies are well-versed in staging provocations and even terrorist attacks, including against their own citizens,” Yusov said.

On June 6, 2023, Russian forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, causing a large-scale environmental disaster. Ukraine warned of a possible international-scale catastrophe as early as fall 2022.

The next day after the disaster, Russian leader Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine, allegedly acting on the West’s suggestion, of destroying the Kakhovka dam, calling it a “barbaric” war crime. However, the Kremlin offered no evidence to support this claim.

On September 19, 2024, Vitalii Sarantsev, spokesperson for the Kharkiv Operational Tactical Group, stated that Russian troops were actively mining dams near Belgorod, Russia, likely in preparation for potential false flag operations aimed at placing the blame on Ukraine.

Sabotage incidents have been increasing across Europe, with multiple cases traced back to Russia. On December 4, 2024, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský reported that Russia is suspected of involvement in nearly 100 incidents across Europe in 2024, classified as hybrid attacks, espionage, or influence operations.