Russia launches new wave of disinformation against residents of Sumy region on TikTok — CCD

Russians have launched a new wave of disinformation on TikTok against residents of the Sumy region in order to discredit local authorities. The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council stated this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "Russia continues its information operation against residents of the Sumy region, launching a new wave of disinformation on TikTok.

In particular, a deepfake video of a purported local official is being spread on the social network. In the video he says that 'there are currently no orders to repair the critical infrastructure damaged as a result of enemy shelling,'" the statement said. In reality, the video is yet another AI-generated fake of Russian propaganda.

To spread it, the Russians used a network of anonymous accounts that had already been used to distribute similar manipulative materials. Once again, the enemy is trying to use the consequences of its own shelling of civilian infrastructure to shift responsibility onto the Ukrainian side. The Center emphasized that the purpose of this information attack is to undermine the trust of Sumy residents in the local authorities, sow a sense of hopelessness, and artificially increase pressure on residents of the front-line city.

"This is another episode of Russia's disinformation campaign against residents of the Sumy region, as part of which the enemy is trying to impose on people the idea that 'the authorities are preparing to surrender Sumy,'" the post said. The Center reminded that Russian propagandists had already spread fakes about a "utilities collapse" and a "logistics catastrophe" in the Sumy region, and had also sent false messages about "urgent evacuation from Sumy." As Ukrinform reported, TikTok blocked a network of accounts that promoted Kremlin narratives and interfered in the internal affairs of the Czech Republic.