Russia prepares new special operation against Ukraine's leadership - main directorate of intelligence

According to the Ukrainian intelligence service, the Kremlin is preparing an information and psychological campaign to discredit representatives of the government. Its goal is to make Ukrainians and leaders of allied countries doubt the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's main intelligence directorate has said.

According to the agency, the targets of such an attack, among others, should be:

• serhiy Shaptala, head of the AFU General Staff;
• the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk;
• defence Ministry head Oleksiy Reznikov;
• head of the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office Andriy Yermak;
• acting head of the National Police Ivan Vyhovskyy;
• and other representatives of the country's military and political leadership.

According to the intelligence service, among other things, the campaign will include "throwing in" fabricated materials to the Ukrainian and international media.

The State Intelligence Service explained that this way Moscow intended to provoke political instability in Ukraine and cause a wave of distrust towards the Ukrainian leadership in the West.