The Centre for Information Resilience’s “Eyes on Russia” Project maps, documents and verifies significant incidents related to Russian aggression toward Ukraine.
CIR investigators collate, geolocate, and verify information appearing on social media and claims made by parties to the conflict. Our latest findings can always be found on thisTwitter thread.
Report 8 Summary
Since 4 May, Russian forces have continued their so-called second phase of the war in Ukraine.
Russian forces have faced widespread resistance by Ukrainian forces in their attempts to capture south-eastern Ukraine.
Due to Ukrainian opposition, Russia has incurred significant military losses.
Notably on 12 May, a Russian built pontoon bridge was destroyed, resulting in significant damage to a number of Russian armoured vehicles.
In the information space, CIR analysts have observed a variety of narratives, chiefly among them the claim that Poland may invade Ukraine. This allegation attempts to position Russia as a liberator of Ukraine, with assistance from Belarus.
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The full CIR explainer on this narrative can be found here.
Kremlin aligned pages and personas on social media have continued to promote the claim that Russia is fighting Nazis in Ukraine. This narrative was particularly prominent on 9 May, celebrated by Russia as Victory Day.
Narratives have also targeted the Eurovision song contest. According to Kremlin aligned networks, the support for Ukraine in the competition was Europe’s way to support Nazism on the global stage.
CIR analysts have also observed a noted increase in claims that portray the military aid to Ukraine as a form of money laundering by the West.
This comes as narratives have proliferated on Kremlin aligned pages, promoting threats to Finland and Sweden following their joining of NATO.