Medvedev stirs Moscow's disinformation campaign, claiming Ukraine leaders plan to flee Kyiv

"The Russian disinformation machine is once again basing itself on the declarations of D. Medvedev. His commentary provides a factor that perpetuates the narrative of the 'plans' of Ukraine's political elite to abandon Kyiv," warns Michał Marek, an expert in disinformation, on platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Russians attempted to spread similar information at the onset of the war on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces were advancing towards the Ukrainian capital. Nonetheless, Zelensky remained in the capital, apart from official visits.

The likely cause for the resurrection of the narrative of Ukraine's elite fleeing from Kyiv is associated with the difficult conditions on the front and the fall of Avdiivka.

In his speech, Medvedev also mentioned that to "realise the goals of the special operation (this is how they refer to the war in Ukraine in Russia - Editor's note), we will need to reach Kyiv." According to him, if the Kremlin doesn't act now, it "will at some unknown point." The Kremlin perceives Kyiv as a "threat to Russia's existence," or at the very least, as a "Russian city."

"Stories about the impending fleeing of V. Zelensky and other Ukrainian politicians 'to Warsaw or London' due to a 'sudden worsening of conditions on the front' may be actively circulating in the Polish media today by individuals supporting Moscow's disinformation efforts," warns Marek.

Gen. Kyrylo Budanov has also discussed the commencement of a disinformation campaign in an interview with "The Wall Street Journal". According to the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, the campaign could also feature false flag attacks.