Drones and sabotage: Ukraine’s psychological warfare against Russia
Ukraine is using drones and domestic saboteurs to wage psychological warfare against Russia: here's how. The article by Giuseppe Gagliano
A series of coordinated drone strikes that hit Moscow last week weren't accidental, but may actually have targeted the homes of senior Russian intelligence officials, according to a new report from a US television network, which quoted informed sources and data from an open source research company.
DRON ATTACKS IN MOSCOW
In the early morning hours of May 30, a fleet of at least six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) struck what appeared to be residential apartment buildings in the southeastern suburbs of Moscow. The targets were all located in the Rublyovka area of Moscow, which contains some of the Russian capital's wealthiest neighborhoods.
Many expressed surprise at the airstrike, as it was the first known strike against residential targets in Moscow since the latest phase of Russia's invasion of Ukraine which began in February 2022.
NBC'S REVELATIONS
Upon initial inspection, the targets for the morning attack appeared to have been chosen at random. However, the US television network NBC said the targets of the attack had been carefully selected as "part of Ukraine's psychological warfare strategy against Russia". Citing "multiple sources familiar with the strikes," including a senior US official and a congressional staffer, NBC said the targets of the strikes were all residences of Russian government personnel.
The television network also cited data from Strider Technologies, an open-source strategic intelligence firm located in the US state of Utah, that at least one of the buildings hit by the UAVs housed a state-controlled Russian military contractor. According to Strider Technologies, the contractor services a military unit that is known to be a front for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). NBC also said that other targets in the alleged Ukrainian operation targeted the residences of senior Russian intelligence personnel.
UKRAINE TRAINING SABOTERS IN RUSSIA
According to CNN , Ukrainian intelligence is also training and arming cells of saboteurs inside Russia, which are responsible for several acts of sabotage on Russian soil, including a recent attack on the Kremlin.
In an exclusive report released on Monday, the US TV channel cited "multiple people familiar with US intelligence" about the activities of Ukrainian "agents and sympathizers" inside Russia.
According to the report, pro-Ukrainian saboteurs may be responsible for a growing number of incidents involving mysterious explosions, fires and malfunctions of Russia's critical infrastructure. In recent months, such incidents have caused serious damage to Russian military warehouses, energy pipelines, fuel depots and refineries, railway networks and military enlistment offices.
CNN's report says the UAV attack on the Kremlin, and possibly other similar incidents that have taken place inside Russia in recent months, represent the result of months of effort by the Ukrainian government which is training semi sabotage cells – autonomous within Russia. These cells are said to consist of Ukrainian citizens operating undercover, as well as Russian citizens sympathetic to Ukraine. They also include Russians who militantly oppose President Vladimir Putin's administration.
WELL TRAINED AND EQUIPPED CELLS
These cells have been "well trained" in sabotage and have been supplied with lethal hardware – including UAVs or UAV components – by the Ukrainian government, CNN said. These provisions reach the saboteurs through "well-practiced smuggling routes" that the Ukrainians have established across the Ukrainian-Russian border. The latter is "large and very difficult to control," and has been for decades, according to the report. In most cases, weapons used in acts of sabotage are assembled and operated from within Russia, rather than from command centers in Ukraine, CNN's report said.
The goals of Russia's saboteurs were reportedly set by the highest levels of the Ukrainian government, under the direct supervision of President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officers who manage, train and arm the saboteurs have deliberately given them significant autonomy in terms of targeting and tactics. CNN said it has reached out to the Ukrainian government for comment on this report. The SBU did not confirm or deny that it was involved in the management of saboteur cells inside Russia. However, an SBU spokesman told CNN that mysterious explosions and drone strikes inside Russia are set to continue.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/ucraina-attacchi-droni-mosca/ on Sat, 10 Jun 2023 05:09:53 +0000.