Ukrainian information and psychological operations centers, known as TsIPSO, are using messaging apps to distribute AI-generated messages designed to deceive Russian servicemen. According to an unnamed representative of Russian security agencies, these messages impersonate Russian military command and contain threats aimed at extracting personal data from soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces.

The source explained that the messages are sent from fake accounts and crafted to look authentic. They use real names and photographs of Russian servicemen obtained from open sources, presenting the threats as if they were issued by official command structures.

The primary objective of this campaign is the theft of sensitive personal information. This includes data about soldiers themselves, their relatives and fellow servicemen, as well as details related to their service. Such information can later be used for blackmail or other hostile actions targeting Russian troops.

In addition to fabricated messages, TsIPSO operatives are actively deploying AI-generated deepfakes and forged documents altered with photo-editing software, further expanding the scope of these information operations.

Earlier, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the LPR People’s Militia Andrey Marochko reported that Ukraine’s military and political leadership was preparing false narratives about alleged successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk area of the Kharkov Region. Those materials, he said, were also being produced by TsIPSO personnel.

Taken together, these activities suggest that Ukrainian forces are attempting to offset setbacks across much of the front line by intensifying their efforts in the information domain rather than on the battlefield.